Multi-tier and spiral microwave oven dryers for rapid preparation of dry sausage

ABSTRACT

A process for manufacturing dry sausage including preparing a dry sausage meat mixture, stuffing the moisture into a casing or mould, or extruding into a mould, fermenting the mixture, hat treating the sausage log, optionally removing the outer casing from the sausage log, cooling tire sausage log to a temperature sufficiently low to permit cutting, cutting the sausage, placing the sausage pieces onto a conveyor, optionally a multi-tier or spiral conveyor assembly, and passing the conveyor and sausage pieces through a chamber. The process also includes introducing a supply of conditioned, air into the chamber, the air having a relative humidity below about 60% and a temperature in the range, of at least about 40° F. to 130° F., and introducing a supply of microwaves into the chamber. The air supply and microwaves are selected to reduce the moisture content of the sausage pieces to a predetermined moisture to protein ratio.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a national stage application of International Patent Application No. PCT/US2013/068010, filed Nov. 1, 2013, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/721,954, filed Nov. 2, 2012, the disclosures of each of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a method for preparing a dry or semi-dry sausage product. The invention provides for a method of preparing sliced or diced dry sausage, wherein the sausage is heat treated with casings or moulds and the dehydrating step is performed using conditioned air and microwaves.

Description of the Related Art

Different processes have been used to manufacture cured, smoked, dried, and semi-dried sausages, including processes for preparing dry sausage (e.g., pepperoni. Genoa salami). In these processes, the initial meat mixture is cured and thereafter dried or heated in air, sunlight, drying rooms, or smokehouses. See FAO Corporate Document Repository (2010) “Meat Drying”. The cure and drying process may last for days, or even weeks. A wide variety of final products and inconsistent qualities results from the use of well-established recipes and techniques.

Dry sausage is typically prepared by stuffing the desired meat mixture into fibrous casings and curing the resultant product for extended periods (e.g., over 7 days). This particular sausage is most commonly served in thin slices, with or without the casing (the casing being removed after heat treating). Sliced dry sausage are used in a variety of food applications, such as toppings, sandwiches, salad bars, and are often used in making pizzas (e.g., pepperoni pizzas).

The typical current practice is to prepare the dry sausage using conventional processes employing blending, stuffing the meat mixture into casings, heat treating or cooking a meat mixture, and curing, optionally removing the outer casing from the sausage log, following which the product is thinly sliced. The slices may then be used by consumers or by foodservice operators (e.g., toppings, sandwiches, salad bars, and pizzas). Because the drying and curing process requires from several days to several weeks, production capacity for a manufacturing facility is limited to the amount of space allocated to the drying process. This process is capital intensive, and requires a tremendous amount of product to be held in process at any given period of time. Again, the preparation process of dry sausage (e.g., pepperoni) may take days or weeks. Several patents describe methods for to curing or drying dry sausage products.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,232 describes the preparation of semi-dried meat for food ration purposes by exposing the meat mixture to a turbulent air flow to reduce the moisture content from an original range of 45 to 85% to a range of 20 to 55%. The air used in this process was at a temperature of 0° C. to 30° C. (32° F. to 86° F.) and the air is moved across the meat surface at a velocity of 1 to 18 feet/second. The meat products discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,232 are produced in ¼ to 1¼ inch thick layers or in ropes of ⅜-inch diameter for drying. For ⅜-inch ropes, drying reduces the moisture to 28% in 8 to 13 hours, while the 1¼-inch layers require 13 days. The benefits of turbulent flow are alleged to be increased by 40% early in the process where the air contacts a moist surface, however, the effect of the turbulent air flow of this patent is substantially reduced as the drying continues. For example, in one test reported in U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,232, drying of ⅜-inch ropes from 55% to 40% moisture took just three hours, while a further reduction to 28% required an additional five hours. U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,232 does not disclose any direct relationship between the humidity of the air used in the process and the time of drying. Further, the product is held in flat trays in the examples.

Another process for preparing sausages is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,482,996 where the meat compositions include dehydrated, spun, edible protein fibers or dehydrated fibrous products derived from spun, edible protein fibers. The fibers allegedly take up the moisture which is removed in a drying room. U.S. Pat. No. 3,482,996, however, does not disclose the use of an air flow to dry sausage products.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,918 describes a technique that includes immersion of a meat product in a curing solution, followed by vacuum dehydration. The initial hydration step is to about 105 to 125% of the product's original weight, followed by vacuum treatment to reduce the overall product weight to 70 to 95% of its original weight. U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,918 does not disclose the use of air flow to dry sausage products.

Yet another process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,935 where bactericides and bacteriostats are first added to a meat, followed by treatment with an acidic mixture to reduce the pH to about 5.7. The sausage is then heated to 58° F. and dried to reduce the average moisture level to 35%. U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,935 discloses a drying time of 5 to 20 days and does not disclose the use of air flow to dry sausage products.

Further a process described in WO 2005/092109 uses vacuum-drying methods for drying meat products. However, this publication does not contemplate the use of air flow to dry sausage products; in fact, it uses low air pressure.

Additionally, these current processes require the dry sausage to be held in its casing during the curing and drying phase, thereby reducing the rate at which moisture may be removed from the product and adding to manufacturing cost. Holding the dry sausage in its casing during drying also disallows the ability to slice the product prior to drying, which would increase the surface area of the product and aid in moisture removal.

Accordingly, there exists a need for a method of manufacturing dry sausage that may address or even overcome one or more of the foregoing disadvantages. Further, there exists a need for improving the quality and the manufacturing processes of dry sausages. Also, a need exists in the art for space-saving configurations of drying equipment to save value plant space and allow greater scaling up of the drying process.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides a number of new and useful advances that may be used together or separately. The recitation of this summary is not intended to narrow or limit the inventions described in the appended claims or any claims issuing from this or continuing applications.

One aspect of the present invention provides a process for preparing dry sausage using a multi-tier microwave oven/dryer. Another embodiment, provides apparatus for preparing dry sausage comprising a multi-tier microwave oven/dryer. In a further aspect, the multi-tier microwave oven/dryer may be a multi-turn linear system or a spiral system. Another aspect of the invention may be to provide a cured dry sausage product which flows easily and which may be evenly spread on other food items (e.g., pizza.) A further aspect of the invention may be to provide a cured dry sausage product for use in sandwiches, retail dry sausage deli packaging, sliced or diced cured dry sausage products (e.g., bags of sliced or diced dry sausage), or inclusion in food items (e.g., soups, calzones, HOT POCKETS®).

In one embodiment, a process for preparing dry sausage may comprise: (a) preparing a dry sausage meat mixture; (b) stuffing the mixture into a casing or mould or extruding into a mould to form a sausage log; (c) fermenting the sausage log; (d) heat treating the sausage log; (e) cooling the sausage log to a temperature sufficiently low to permit cutting; (f) cutting the sausage log to form sausage pieces; (g) placing the sausage pieces onto a conveyor assembly; (h) passing the conveyor assembly with the sausage pieces thereon through a chamber; (i) introducing into the chamber a supply of conditioned air having a relative humidity below about 60% and a temperature in the range of at least about 40° F. to 130° F.; and (j) introducing into the chamber a supply of microwaves; wherein the supply of conditioned air and the supply of microwaves are selected to reduce the moisture content of the sausage pieces to a predetermined moisture to protein ratio.

In one embodiment, the conveyor assembly may be a multi-tier linear arrangement.

In one embodiment, the conveyor assembly may be a spiral conveyor arrangement. In another embodiment, the conveyor assembly may comprise a first conveyor belt supported by a first set of pulleys, the first conveyor belt constituted by a first continuous loop of material that travels along a first travel path; a second conveyor belt supported by a second set of pulleys, the second conveyor belt constituted by a second continuous loop of material that travels along a second travel path; and the first travel path of the first conveyor belt may be disposed proximate to the second travel path of the second conveyor belt along a belt proximate section, such that sausage pieces are transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt in the belt proximate section. In another embodiment, the belt proximate section may be constituted by a section of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt that may be wrapped around a section of the first travel path of the first conveyor belt. In another embodiment, the proximate idler pulley may support the first conveyor belt in the belt proximate section.

In another embodiment, the belt proximate section corresponds to approximately 115 degrees of the first conveyor belt wraparound of the proximate idler pulley. In another embodiment, the total first conveyor belt wraparound of the proximate idler pulley being approximately 170 degrees.

In a one embodiment, the belt proximate section the second conveyor belt may be supported upon a support structure, the support structure serving to separate the section of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt that may be wrapped around the section of the first travel path of the first conveyor belt in the belt proximate section, and the support structure serving to separate the second conveyor belt from the first conveyor belt, along the belt proximate section, such that the product (during passage through the support structure) may be transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt.

In another embodiment, the support structure may include a plurality of channels through which the product passes in the belt proximate section.

In another embodiment, the support structure may be in the general shape of a “J”.

In one embodiment, the conveyor assembly may further include a third conveyor belt supported by a third set of pulleys, the third conveyor belt constituted by a third continuous loop of material that travels along a third travel path; and the second travel path of the second conveyor belt may be disposed proximate to the third travel path of the third conveyor belt along a second belt proximate section, such that product may be transferred from the second conveyor belt to the third conveyor belt in the belt proximate section.

In one embodiment, the first conveyor belt may convey the product through a first heating pass and the second conveyor belt conveying the product through a second heating pass. In another embodiment, the first set of pulleys includes at least one drive pulley that drives the first conveyor belt; and the second set of pulleys includes at least one drive pulley that drives the second conveyor belt.

In another embodiment, the first conveyor belt may be constructed of at least one of plastic and rubber; and the second conveyor belt constructed of at least one of plastic and rubber. In another embodiment, the first travel path of the first conveyor belt disposed over at least a portion of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt. In another embodiment, the second travel path of the second conveyor belt may be disposed over at least a portion of the third travel path of the third conveyor belt.

In one embodiment, the step (a) may comprise grinding and then blending the dry sausage meat mixture.

In one embodiment, the conveyor assembly may be a spiral conveyor having a conveyor passing therethrough in a plurality of spirally-arranged tiers. In a further embodiment, the spiral conveyor includes a plurality of conveyor tiers arranged about a vertical axis, a conveyor entrance at a lower part of the conveyor and a conveyor exit at an upper part of the conveyor, and wherein the conveying step may be carried out by introducing the sausage pieces into the microwave oven dryer at the entrance and removing it at the exit.

In one embodiment, the fermentation of step (c) may be at a temperature of about 31-113° F. or about 100° F. In a further embodiment, the heat treating in step (d) may be at a temperature of about 128° F. for about 1 hour.

In one embodiment, the method may further comprise drying the sausage log after heat treating under conditions of a temperature of about 55-65° F., 65-75% relative humidity, and about 0.3 feet/second air velocity, optionally performed in a drying chamber.

In one embodiment, the step of cutting the sausage log may comprise slicing the sausage log. In a further embodiment, the sausage log may be sliced in step (f) into slices having a thickness of about 4 mm or less. In a further embodiment, the step of cutting the sausage log may comprise dicing the sausage log. In a further embodiment, the step of cutting the sausage log may comprise cubing the sausage log.

In one embodiment, the temperature may be in the range of about 50° F. to about 120° F. In a further embodiment, the temperature may be in the range of about 40° F. to about 100° F.

In one embodiment, the conditioned air may be passed through the chamber at a volume sufficient to cause a linear air flow velocity over the sausage pieces to be at least about 100 feet per minute. In another embodiment, the linear air flow velocity may be about 100 feet per minute to 2,000 feet per minute. In a further embodiment, the conditioned air may be introduced into the chamber from above and below the sausage pieces. In a further embodiment, the conditioned air may be supplied as a turbulent air flow.

In one embodiment, the conditioned air has a relative humidity of below about 50-55%. In a further embodiment, the conditioned air has a relative humidity of below about 25%.

In one embodiment, the method may further comprise the step of cooling the sausage after it leaves the chamber.

In one embodiment, step (j) may comprise introducing the microwaves in pulses. In another embodiment, the pulses comprise a repeating on/off cycle of about 2 to 30 seconds on, and about 2 to 30 seconds off. In another embodiment, the pulses comprise a repeating on/off cycle of about 10 seconds on and about 7 seconds off. In another embodiment, the pulses comprise a repeating on/off cycle of about 12 seconds on and about 12 seconds off.

In one embodiment, the microwaves may be provided at about 2-20 kilowatts, optionally at about 20 kilowatts. In another embodiment, the microwaves may be provided at about 8-12 kilowatts, optionally at about 12 kilowatts.

In one embodiment, the sausage slices remain in the chamber for less than about 30 minutes. In another embodiment, the sausage slices remain in the chamber for about 2 to about 10 minutes.

In one embodiment, the sausage may be pepperoni, chorizo, or salami.

In one embodiment, the method may further comprise monitoring the sausage using at least one of a thermal imaging device, a near-infrared (NIR) imaging system, a vision system, an inline checkweigher, or an infrared sensor at least one location.

In one embodiment, the method may further comprise weighing the sausage before it enters the chamber and weighing the sausage after it exits the chamber and calculating the reduction in weight of the sausage.

In one embodiment, the sausage remains in the chamber until a moisture to protein ratio of the sausage may be reduced to about 2.3:1 or less. In another embodiment, the sausage remains in the chamber until the moisture to protein ratio may be reduced to about 1.6:1 or less.

In one embodiment, the air pressure in the chamber may be at least about one atmosphere.

In one embodiment, the sausage pieces are cut into their final commercial shape prior to entering the chamber.

In one embodiment, the chamber may comprise a plurality of cavities extending along the conveyor. In another embodiment, the conditioned air and the microwaves are provided in the same one of the plurality of cavities. In a further embodiment, the conditioned air and the microwaves are provided in different ones of the plurality of cavities.

In one embodiment, the microwaves may be provided in a first one of the plurality of cavities, and the conditioned air may be provided in a second one of the plurality of cavities, the second one being downstream of the first one with respect to a direction of movement of the sausage pieces. In another embodiment, no microwaves may be provided in the second one of the plurality of cavities.

In another embodiment, the method may further comprise removing the outer casing after step (d).

In one embodiment, a process for preparing dry sausage may comprise: (a) preparing a dry sausage meat mixture; (b) stuffing the mixture into a casing or mould or extruding into a mould to form a sausage log; (c) fermenting the sausage log; (d) heat treating the sausage log: (e) cooling the sausage log to a temperature sufficiently low to permit cutting; (f) cutting the sausage log to form sausage pieces; (g) placing the sausage pieces onto a spiral conveyor assembly; (h) passing the spiral conveyor assembly with the sausage pieces thereon through a chamber; (i) introducing into the chamber a supply of conditioned air having a relative humidity below about 60% and a temperature in the range of at least about 40° F. to 130° F.; and (j) introducing into the chamber a supply of microwaves; wherein the supply of conditioned air and the supply of microwaves are selected to reduce the moisture content of the sausage pieces to a predetermined moisture to protein ratio.

In one embodiment, the conveyor assembly may be a spiral conveyor having a conveyor passing therethrough in a plurality of spirally-arranged tiers. In another embodiment, the spiral conveyor may include a plurality of conveyor tiers arranged about a vertical axis, a conveyor entrance at a lower part of the conveyor and a conveyor exit at an upper part of the conveyor, and wherein the conveying step is carried out by introducing the sausage pieces into the microwave oven dryer at the entrance and removing it at the exit.

In one embodiment, a conveyor assembly for transporting product may comprise: a first conveyor belt supported by a first set of pulleys, the first conveyor belt constituted by a first continuous loop of material that travels along a first travel path; a second conveyor belt supported by a second set of pulleys, the second conveyor belt constituted by a second continuous loop of material that travels along a second travel path; and the first travel path of the first conveyor belt is disposed proximate to the second travel path of the second conveyor belt along a belt proximate section, such that product is transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt in the belt proximate section. In one embodiment, the belt proximate section may be constituted by a section of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt that is wrapped around a section of the first travel path of the first conveyor belt.

In one embodiment, the proximate idler pulley may support the first conveyor belt in the belt proximate section. In another embodiment, the belt proximate section may correspond to approximately 115 degrees of the first conveyor belt wraparound of the proximate idler pulley. In another embodiment, the total first conveyor belt may wraparound of the proximate idler pulley being approximately 170 degrees.

In one embodiment, the belt proximate section the second conveyor belt may be supported upon a support structure, the support structure serving to separate the section of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt that is wrapped around the section of the first travel path of the first conveyor belt in the belt proximate section, and the support structure serving to separate the second conveyor belt from the first conveyor belt, along the belt proximate section, such that the product (during passage through the support structure) is transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt.

In one embodiment, the support structure may include a plurality of channels through which the product passes in the belt proximate section.

In one embodiment, the support structure may be in the general shape of a “J”.

In one embodiment, may further include a third conveyor belt supported by a third set of pulleys, the third conveyor belt constituted by a third continuous loop of material that travels along a third travel path; and the second travel path of the second conveyor belt is disposed proximate to the third travel path of the third conveyor belt along a second belt proximate section, such that product is transferred from the second conveyor belt to the third conveyor belt in the belt proximate section.

In one embodiment, the first conveyor belt may convey the product through a first pass through a chamber and the second conveyor belt may convey the product through a second pass through a chamber. In another embodiment, the third conveyor belt may convey the product through a third pass through a chamber.

In one embodiment, the first set of pulleys may include at least one drive pulley that drives the first conveyor belt; and the second set of pulleys includes at least one drive pulley that drives the second conveyor belt.

In one embodiment, the first conveyor belt may be constructed of at least one of plastic and rubber; and the second conveyor belt constructed of at least one of plastic and rubber.

In one embodiment, the first travel path of the first conveyor belt may be disposed over at least a portion of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt. In another embodiment, the second travel path of the second conveyor belt may be disposed over at least a portion of the third travel path of the third conveyor belt.

In one embodiment, the system may comprise a multi-turn linear or a spiral microwave dryer system for drying dry sausage, which may be prepared for drying by blending uncooked (and/or non-heat treated) meat products and spices and heat treating the meat mixture and stuffing it into casings. The dry sausage may be sliced or diced after it may be cooled to a temperature which facilitates this process. The temperature and humidity of the air flow within a multi-tier microwave system used to dry the sausage may be controlled. For example, the microwave system may be coupled to sensors (e.g., infrared sensors), near infrared (NIR) imaging systems, thermal image devices, vision systems, in-line checkweighers, or feedback control system. In a further embodiment, the multi-tier microwave dryer system may be a linear multi-turn microwave dryer system or a spiral microwave dryer system.

In one embodiment, the method for preparing heat treated and/or cooked dry sausage may comprise formulating a meat mixture to the desired specification and initially grinding the meat (e.g., beef and/or pork) to a size no greater than about one-half (½) inch. The meat may be then added to a blender and mixed with salt, culture, water and spices, oleoresins, and dextrose, optionally adding a cure (e.g., a source of nitrite, salt, and sugar). For example, the meat may be admixed with a cure (e.g., a source of nitrate, salt, and sugar), smoke (e.g., liquid smoke), culture, water, oleoresins, and spices. Blending may be carried out for about 5 minutes, after which a second grinding may occur, this time to a size no greater than about 3/16″. Bone may be eliminated at this stage. In another aspect, the meat mixture may be formed by admixing the meat with salt, culture, water and spices, oleoresins, and dextrose, optionally adding a cure (e.g., a source of nitrite, salt, and sugar) and grinding the meat mixture then blending it in a blender as described herein. Also, the meat mixture may be formed by admixing the meat with salt, culture, water and spices, oleoresins, and dextrose, optionally adding a cure (e.g., a source of nitrite, salt, and sugar), blending the meat mixture, and then grinding a second time. Meat temperature may be maintained below about 40° F. in the blending and grinding process. Following the final grinding or blending step, the meat mixture may be stuffed into casing or moulds, or extruded into a mould, and may be transferred to ovens where it may be fermented or heat treated. For example, the meat mixture may be formulated, ground, blended and then stuffed into casings or moulds, or extruded into a mould, and then may be transferred to ovens where it may be fermented or heat treated. Also, the meat mixture may be formulated ground, blended, ground a second time, and then stuffed into casings or moulds, or extruded into a mould, and then may be transferred to ovens where it may be fermented or heat treated.

In another embodiment, the heat treated sausage may be thereafter chilled to an internal temperature of below about 35° F., following which the heat treated, chilled meat mixture may be sliced or diced. The meat mixture may be shaped into logs and a plurality of logs may be sliced or diced at one time. For example, 3, 6, 9, or 12 logs may be arranged and sliced or diced at a time. The dry sausage may be then transferred to the conveyor of a multi-turn linear or a spiral microwave dryer system where it may be exposed to conditioned air maintained between about 40° F. and 100° F. and a relative humidity below about 50% for a time of about 3 to about 15 minutes, or between 40° F. and 130° F. and a relative humidity of below about 60% for a time of about 1 minute to 30 minutes. For example, the conditioned air may be maintained between about 50° F. and 120° F. The relative humidity of the conditioned air may be below about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, or 60%. For example, the relative humidity of the conditioned air may be about 50-55%. The relative humidity of the conditioned air may be about 25% or below. The drying time may be about 1 to 30 minutes. For example, the drying time may be about 2 to 10 minutes, 2 to 15 minutes, or 15 to 30 minutes. Air flow through the dryer may be at least about 100 to 3,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) at a linear air flow over the dry sausage of about 100 to 2,000 feet per minute. The air flow may be at least about 2,000 to 2,500 cfm, or at least about 2,000 cfm, and at a linear air flow over the dry sausage of about 1,000 to 1,500 feet per minute (ft/min), or at least about 180 to 900 ft/min. The linear air flow rate may be at least about 500 ft/min. Also, the linear flow rate of the air may be at a level where it is just below the point where it moves the product or blows it off the belt. Additionally, the air pressure in the dryer unit may be maintained at about atmospheric pressure (atm) (e.g., about 750 torr or 101 kPa).

In one embodiment, the processes and systems may comprise product quality and yield instrumentation to monitor the product quality and yield. In one embodiment, a “pre-dried” product checkweigher may check the weight of the sliced or diced sausage product after slicing but before drying in the dryer unit. A vision/camera system may be used prior to entry of the product in the dryer unit for monitoring the product load. After the product exits the dryer unit, thermal monitoring may be used for monitoring dry sausage product quality. A “post-dried” product checkweigher may be used for yield verification prior the dry sausage product to be conveyed to the freezing unit.

In another embodiment, the moisture in the meat product may be reduced to ratio to meet USDA requirements and standard of identity with respect to protein. For example, the moisture to protein ratio may be at least about 1.6:1, 1.9:1, 2.0:1, 2.03:1, 2.04:1, 2.1:1, 2.25:1, 2.3:1, or 3.1:1. Further, the moisture to protein ratio may be about 2.3:1 to 1.6:1. The moisture to protein ratio may be at least about 1.6:1 or 2.3:1. It will be understood that the moisture to protein ratio may vary depending on the particular product; for example, a Pepperoni product might have a moisture to protein ratio of 1.6, whereas a Genoa Salami product might have a moisture to protein ratio of 2.3. Also, modifications may be made to the moisture to protein ratio to obtain benefits to the physical (e.g., toughness) or chemical (e.g., taste) properties of the product. The dry sausage may be then conveyed to a chiller, where it may be chilled or frozen for packaging and subsequent transfer to the customer.

In another embodiment, the method may comprise the preparation of dry sausage in a relatively small amount of manufacturing space and in a minimal amount of time as compared to prior processes.

The foregoing and other objects and aspects of the present invention are explained in greater detail in reference to the description set forth herein. It will be understood that the foregoing and following descriptions of objects and embodiments of the invention are provided to explain possible exemplary embodiments of the invention, and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A depicts a flow-chart of an exemplary series of steps of a method for preparing sliced or diced dry or semi-dry sausage.

FIG. 1B depicts a top schematic view of an exemplary set of equipment used to carry out dry sausage slicing, microwave and air drying, freezing, and other steps.

FIG. 1C depicts a side view of an example of an assemblage of equipment depicted in FIG. 1B (“one unit”) arranged in parallel with two other units (e.g., three units). The dryer component is on the top level (A) and the multi-tier linear microwave oven conveyor component is on the bottom level (B). The operators are shown for illustrative purposes only as the entire assemblage may be fully automated.

FIG. 1D depicts a top view of an example of an assemblage of equipment depicted in FIG. 1B (“one unit”) arranged in parallel with two other units (e.g., three units). The dryer component is on the top level (A) and the multi-tier linear microwave oven conveyor component is on the bottom level (B). The operators are shown for illustrative purposes only as the entire assemblage may be fully automated.

FIG. 1E depicts another side view of an example of an assemblage of equipment depicted in FIG. 1B (“one unit”) arranged in parallel with two other units (e.g., three units). The dryer component is on the top level (A) and the multi-tier linear microwave oven conveyor component is on the bottom level (B). The operators are shown for illustrative purposes only as the entire assemblage may be fully automated.

FIG. 2 depicts a plan view of the line with exemplary product quality and yield instrumentation, including a “pre-dried” product checkweigher and vision/camera system for monitoring load between the slicer and the dryer unit and a thermal monitoring for product quality and a “post-dried” product checkweigher for yield verification between the dryer unit and the freezing unit.

FIG. 3 depicts a schematic illustration of an exemplary dryer unit showing one configuration of air flow and product flow.

FIG. 4 depicts a schematic illustration of an exemplary dryer unit configuration comprising three entry points for conditioned dry air from the top of the microwave and air dryer unit, three exhaust points on the side of the dryer unit, and two supply points of microwave energy on the top of the microwave and air dryer unit.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an exemplary dehumidifier for the supply of dry conditioned air.

FIG. 6 depicts exemplary monitoring points for measuring various exemplary properties of air passing through the system.

FIG. 7A depicts a side view of an exemplary microwave oven dryer unit. The microwave oven dryer unit comprises three cambers and a multi-tier linear conveyor belt system. The dryer component is on the top level (A) and the multi-tier linear microwave oven conveyor component is on the bottom level (B). The operators are shown for illustrative purposes only as the entire assemblage may be fully automated. A detail of the Belt 2 drive is shown in FIG. 7B and a detail of the Belt 1 drive is shown in FIG. 7C.

FIG. 7B detail of Belt 2 drive showing one end of multi-tier linear microwave oven conveyor belt system. The product may be loaded onto the first belt drive and then make a first pass through the microwave oven dryer. The first belt running in a first direction is in contact with a second belt running in a second, opposite direction, as to allow transfer of the product from the first belt to a second belt. The first belt forms a hairpin loop which is in contact with an J-shaped loop of the second belt with the first and second belt in contact but with very low tension to prevent crushing the product. The product pass from the hairpin loop and into the J-shaped loop of the second belt. The second belt running in a second direction is in contact with a third belt running in a third direction opposite to the second belt (and same direction as the first belt). The product may then be transferred to a second belt and make a second pass through the microwave oven dryer.

FIG. 7C detail of Belt 1 drive showing one end of multi-tier linear microwave oven conveyor belt system. The second belt allows transfer of the product from the second belt to the third belt. The second belt forms a hairpin loop which is in contact with an J-shaped loop of the third belt with the second and third belt in contact but with very low tension to prevent crushing the product. The product pass from the hairpin loop and into the J-shaped loop of the third belt. The product may then make a third pass through the microwave oven dryer.

FIG. 8A depicts a side-view of a spiral conveyor microwave dryer. Conditioned air and microwaves may be supplied into the spiral conveyor microwave dryer from the top and/or the sides of the spiral conveyor microwave dryer. The product may by transported into the top of the spiral conveyor microwave dryer and be subject to conditioned air and microwave heating as it moves downward in the spiral conveyor and exit at the bottom of the spiral conveyor.

FIG. 8B depicts a rear/side-view of a spiral conveyor microwave dryer. Conditioned air and microwaves may be supplied into the spiral conveyor microwave dryer from the top and/or the sides of the spiral conveyor microwave dryer. The product may by transported into the top of the spiral conveyor microwave dryer and be subject to conditioned air and microwave heating as it moves downward in the spiral conveyor and exit at the bottom of the spiral conveyor. This rear/side view also shows exemplary arrangements of microwave supply and dehumidifier units as well as control and monitoring equipment.

FIG. 8C depicts a top view of the spiral conveyor microwave oven dryer. In this view, the position of exemplary desiccant dryers and power supplies are shown.

FIG. 8D depicts a cut-away schematic of the interior of an exemplary spiral conveyor microwave oven dryer. This view includes the belt and pulley system that may be used to transport sausage slices into the spiral conveyor microwave oven dryer at the top and out at the bottom.

FIG. 9 depicts a top schematic view of an exemplary set of equipment used to carry out dry sausage freezing and packaging steps, including, for example, a freezer 500, grouping conveyor 601, packaging machine 602, and a metal detector 603. This equipment may be used in conjunction with either a multi-tier linear or spiral conveyor microwave oven dryer.

FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram of a microwave oven dryer with conveyor belt arrangement.

FIG. 10B is a further schematic diagram of the microwave oven dryer with multi-tier conveyor belt arrangement of FIG. 10A, showing further detail.

FIG. 10C is a perspective view showing details of a channel support structure in a conveyor belt arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The invention relates to an apparatus and methods for preparing dry sausage comprising a multi-tier microwave oven/dryer system, optionally a multi-turn linear microwave oven/dryer system or a spiral microwave oven/dyer system.

The inventors surprisingly discovered that the combination of rapid drying using a flow of conditioned air at a low temperature in conjunction with the application of microwave energy greatly reduced the processing time and costs but maintained a desirable qualities of the sliced or diced dry sausage, but essentially without cooking the meat or melting fat in the meat, as would be expected when applying microwave energy to sausage. By the use of the dryer unit and process described herein, the overall processing time for making dry sausage may be dramatically reduced.

The inventors also surprisingly discovered that the microwave oven/dryer may be configured as a multi-tier linear system comprising three belts in contact with each other, wherein the first belt is driven in a first direction and contacts, at least a portion of the belt length, optionally at the opposite end, with a second belt driven in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, and wherein the second belt is driven in a second direction and contacts, at least a portion of the belt length, optionally at the opposite end of where the second belt contacts the first belt, with a third belt driven in a third direction, opposite to the second direction. The first belt when in contact with the second belt allows for the transfer of the product from the first belt to the second belt. The second belt when in contact with the third belt allows for the transfer of the product from the second belt to the third belt. This apparatus and methods of use described herein allow for an unexpected substantial reduction in processing time and the cost associated therewith using a system which occupies relatively little plant space and is highly reliable. For example, the multi-tier linear microwave oven/dryer system described herein may occupy less than one-third the space of a conventional linear microwave oven. For example, the multi-tier linear microwave oven dryer system may be about 50 feet in length, but allow for the sausage pieces to pass through the equivalent of 150 feet of microwave oven dryer. Additionally, the temperature and humidity of the chamber(s) inside the multi-tier linear microwave oven/dryer system described herein may be more accurately controlled resulting in substantial cost-savings.

The inventors also surprisingly discovered that the microwave oven/dryer may be configured as a spiral conveyor system. The spiral conveyor microwave oven/dryer system may comprise a spiral conveyor, wherein the product is conveyed into the top level by means of a belt conveyor that transports the product to a spiral conveyor that conveys the product along the spiral path of the spiral conveyor to an exit at the bottom level of the spiral conveyor microwave oven/dryer system.

In one embodiment, the process comprises preparing a dry sausage meat mixture; stuffing meat mixture into casing or moulds, or extruding into moulds; fermenting the mixture at a temperature of at least about 100° F. for 12 hours; heat treating the mixture at a temperature at least about above 128° F. for an hour to prepare a heat treated sausage; cooling the heat treated sausage to a temperature sufficiently low to permit slicing (e.g., about 35° F.); slicing the cooled sausage; depositing the sausage slices onto the conveyor of a multi-tier microwave oven/dryer unit; passing conditioned air into and through the dryer unit; and wherein the conditioned air may have a relative humidity below about 60% (e.g., about 50-55%) and a temperature in the range of at least about 40° F. to about 130° F. (e.g., about 50° F. to 120° F.) when introduced into the dryer unit; and wherein the sausage slices are processed through the dryer unit for a time sufficient to reduce the moisture to protein ratio to at least about 2.3:1. A temperature sufficiently low to permit slicing may be about 0° F. to 35° F. The relative humidity of the conditioned air may be below about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, or 60%. The conditioned air may have a relative humidity below about 50-55%. In another embodiment, the conditioned air may have a relative humidity below about 50% or below about 25%. The conditioned air may have a temperature of between about 40° F. and 100° F. or between about 50° F. to 120° F. The moisture to protein ratio may be at least about 1.6:1, 1.9:1, 2.0:1, 2.03:1, 2.04:1, 2.1:1, 2.25:1, 2.3:1, or 3.1:1. For example, the moisture to protein ratio may be about 2.3:1 or 1.6:1. See, e.g., USDA Requirements and Standard of Identity for dry sausage (MPR) in USDA Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book (2005).

In one embodiment, the apparatus may include a Bry-Air dehumidifier system, a slicer, a tunnel chiller, and a single chamber packaging machine. The apparatus may be installed in a plant with the capability to process fermented logs, room for this equipment (e.g., near an outside wall for the Bry-Air system), and an area that is suitable for “Ready to Eat” product. Of course, multiple devices such as those described above may be operated in parallel or series at one or more stages of the process (e.g., two slicers per tunnel chiller), as will be readily understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art.

Definitions

Unless otherwise indicated, all terms used herein have the same meaning as they would to one skilled in the art. The USDA Food Standards and Labelling Policy Book (2005) identifies ordinary understandings for many terms.

“Dry sausage,” and “Semi-dry sausage,” as used herein, refer broadly to cured sausages that are fermented and dried. Dry sausages include but are not limited to pepperoni, chorizo, salami, Droëwors, Sucuk, Landjäger, Frizzes, Lola (Lolita), and Lyons. Semi-dry sausages are usually heated to fully heat treat and/or cook the product and partially dry it. Semi-dry sausages include, for example, semi-soft sausages and summer sausage.

“Meat” broadly refers to red meat (e.g., beef, pork, veal, venison, buffalo, and lamb or mutton) and poultry meat (e.g., chicken, turkey, ostrich, grouse, goose, guinea, and duck). The meat used in the present invention may be “organic,” “natural,” “Kosher,” and/or “Halal”. The meat may be certified “organic” and/or “natural” by the appropriate state or Federal authorities (e.g., FDA and USDA) and/or by meeting the appropriate standards set forth by said authorities. The meat may be certified to be “Kosher” but the appropriate Rabbinical authorities (e.g., the Orthodox Union, Star-K, OK Kosher Certification) and/or by meeting the appropriate standards set forth by said authorities. The meat may be certified to be “Halal” by the appropriate authorities (e.g., Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America).

“Reduce,” as used herein, refers broadly to grind, dice, slice, chop up, comminute, pestle, granulate, press, cube, mince, mill, grate, grade, crush, roll, shear, divide, hew, or use any other method known in the art for changing a meat from one size to another. The resultant size of meat may be a mixture of sizes or a collection of sizes. Mixtures, collections, and assortments of sizes need not be consistent in that the mixture, collection, and assortment may contain particles of different sizes. The resultant sized meat particles may also be uniform or substantially similar in size.

“Starter culture,” as used herein, refers broadly to an inoculum (composition) of lactic acid bacteria which converts added sugar to lactic acid producing fermented food stuffs. In particular, lactic acid bacteria are Lactobacillus species. In the present context, the term “lactic acid bacteria” refers broadly to a clade of Gram positive, low-GC, acid tolerant, non-sporulating, non-respiring rod or cocci that are associated by their common metabolic and physiological characteristics. In particular, lactic acid bacteria ferment sugar with the production of acids including lactic acid as well as acetic acid, formic acid, and propionic acid. Lactic acid bacteria are generally regarded as safe (“GRAS”) due to their ubiquitous appearance in food and their contribution to the healthy microflora of human mucosal surfaces. The genera of lactic acid bacteria suitable for use in this invention include but are not limited to Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, Micrococcus, Lactococcus, Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus. Other genera of bacteria suitable for use in this invention include but are not limited to Staphylococcus, Brevibacterium, Arthrobacter and Corynebacterium.

“Poultry,” as used herein, refers broadly to category of domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of collecting their eggs, meat, and/or feathers, or wild birds that are harvested for similar purposes. Poultry, includes but is not limited to chickens, ducks, emu, geese, Indian peafowl, mute swan, ostrich, turkeys, guineafowl, common pheasant, golden pheasant, and rhea.

“USDA requirements and standard of identity,” refers broadly to the requirements and standards promulgated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and available in the USDA Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book (2005).

Proceeding now to a description of embodiments of the present invention, the process will be described first, and drawings will be used to illustrate an exemplary plant layout and an exemplary technique for modifying a dryer unit so that it may be used as a sausage drying apparatus and methods in the present invention.

Formulated Meat Mixture

The first step of the process may be the formulation of the meat mixture (e.g., beef, pork, poultry, game) to the desired specification, including the specification for fat. These specifications may be established by the processor or the customer. Initially, the meat may be coarse ground as is well known in the dry sausage industry. The meat may be ground to a size no greater than about ⅛, ¼, ⅓, ½, ¾, or 1 inch. In one particular embodiment, the meat may be ground to a size no greater than about ½ inch.

The formulated meat may next be placed into a blender where it is mixed with the salt, culture, water, and spices, and may further comprise oleoresins and a corn-based sweetener or sugar. The formulated meat mixture may be mixed with a cure comprising salt, a nitrite source, and sugar or corn-based sweetener (e.g., dextrose), culture, water, spices, and may further comprise oleoresins. Corn-based sweeteners include but are not limited to, corn syrup, Cerelose®, Clintose®, corn syrup solids, dextrose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), maltodextrins, or Staleydex®. The particular meat mixture, including spices, flavorings, salt, and cultures may be widely varied by those skilled in the art. For example, encapsulated acids (e.g., lactic, citric, etc.) may be used to lower pH in the mixture as an alternate method of preparation to possibly eliminate fermentation and thus require only thermal processing of the mixture. As another example, honey, liquid smoke, spices in liquid or powder form, seasonings in liquid or powder form may be added to the meat. Further, sugar includes but is not limited to sucrose, raw sugar, natural sugar, organic sugar, brown sugar, organic cane syrup, organic cane sugar, white sugar, natural brown sugar, muscovado sugar, refined sugar, molasses, confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar), fruit sugar, milk sugar, malt sugar, granulated guar, beet sugar, and superfine (castor) sugar. Salt includes but is not limited to natural salt, natural sea salt, natural rock salt, sea salt, sodium chloride, table salt, natural hand-harvested salt, rare artisan salt, smoked sea salt, and gourmet sea salt, and also includes salt substitutes as used in reduced sodium products, as known in the art. Nitrite sources include but are not limited to vegetable juice powder, sea salt, celery salt, celery powder, celery juice, sodium nitrate, and sodium nitrite. The culture add to the formulated meat mixture may be an inoculum (composition) of Lactobacillus bacteria species. The starter culture composition may be provided in any form, including but not limited to a liquid, frozen, dried, freeze-dried, lyophilized, or spray-dried. The starter culture may be mixed in water, as is conventional, before addition to the meat mixture. Further, any one, all, or a combination of these ingredients may be added to the formulated meat mixture individually, in any order, or simultaneously. The blender may operate for about 5 minutes or other length of time preferably to thoroughly mix the ingredients if desired. Additionally, the meat may be ground before it is blended with the ingredients described herein. Also, the meat mixture may be formulated, then ground, and then blended as described herein.

Following blending, the meat mixture may be passed through a final grinder, where it is reduced to a size no greater than about 1/16, ⅛, 3/16, or ¾ inches. In one embodiment, the meat mixture is reduced to a size no greater than about 3/16 inches. A bone elimination system may be used here, if bone has not been eliminated earlier in the process. Although grind sizes may be referred to for various stages of the process described herein, these sizes may also be varied by those skilled in the art who would also appreciate the corresponding need for further process modifications, for example in connection with times and temperatures. The size may be selected according to preferences for the final product's shape, texture, flavor and so on, as known in the art. When the meat mixture exits the final grind station, it may be at least about 60° F., 50° F., 45° F., 42° F., 40° F., 39° F. 38° F., 37° F., or less. In one embodiment, the meat mixture exiting the final grind station may be about 40° F. or less.

The inventors surprisingly discovered that the order of preparing the meat mixture had a direct effect on the quality of product produced. It was discovered that the meat mixture that was ground and then blended unexpectedly lead to a better quality product (e.g., few holes in the final sliced or diced sausage). By the use of the dryer unit and process described herein, the overall processing time for making dry sausage may be dramatically reduced, and surprisingly the flowability of the resulting product may be increased. For example, a plurality of sliced dry sausage pieces processed according to one embodiment may be squeezed together under hand pressure and separated freely thereafter. This result is in contrast to the oily feel and tendency to clump together which occurs when using sliced dry sausage made by conventional processes. The process and apparatus described herein allows for an unexpected substantial reduction in processing time and the cost associated therewith using a system which occupies relatively little plant space and is highly reliable. Without intending to be bound by any theory of operation, it is believed that this modification to conventional processes helped extract protein to encapsulate fat molecules, leading to the improved product. Regardless, in other embodiments, the meat mixture may be prepared by a blend then grinding process or an initial blend, grind, and then second blend process.

Stuffing into Casings or Moulds, Fermentation, Heat Treating, and Slicing

The next step in the process may be to mechanically stuff the meat mixture into casing or moulds, or extruding into a mould. The casing or mould size, including length, shape and diameter, may be varied, with corresponding changes in the heat treating and fermenting parameters discussed. For example, the sausage logs may be about 1.5-3.5 inches (about 40-90 mm) in diameter or about 1.5-4.5 inches (about 40-115 mm) and may be about 36-72 inches (about 91-182 cm) in length. In a casing-less variation, the meat mixture is extruded onto a screen at a thickness of about three inches (3″) and is transferred to ovens where it is fermented or cooked. The stuffed, extruded, or shaped logs may be transferred to ovens where fermentation takes place with the sausage temperature held about 100° F. for about 12 hours. Generally, fermentation conditions are defined by temperature, time, pH, and moisture. The end point of growth may be usually determined by time or measurement of pH. In preparing the cultured products of the present invention, the use of standard techniques for good bacteriological growth may be used.

The fermentation may take place at a temperature of from about 31° F. to 113° F. The fermentation may take place at a temperature at about 90° F. to 110° F., about 95° to 105° F., or about 100° F. (e.g., 100.4° F.). Other fermentation temperatures may be selected in other embodiments. The fermentation of the logs may take place over any suitable period to adequately prepared the logs for further processing, such as for a period of about 1 to about 25 hours. Preferably the fermentation may take place over a period about 10 to about 25 hours, preferably from about 12 to about 18 hours, and most preferably about 18 hours. Fermentation may be conducted until a desired endpoint is reached, for example, until the sausage reaches a pH within the range above about 4.5 to below about 5.3. Also, fermentation may be conducted until the pH level is about 5.4. Alternatively, fermentation is conducted until the pH level drops to about 5.3 and is maintained for at least about 5 hours. See, e.g., Food Safety Regulatory Essentials Shelf-Stable Course (2005), pages 109-126, 119-120.

The sausage may then be heat treated, such as by placing it in an oven at at least about 128° F. for at least about 1 hour. It should be noted that the foregoing heat treatment specification (i.e., at least 128° F. for 1 hour) is identified in government regulations relating to processing meats (see, 9 C.F.R. § 318.10), but while it may be desirable to meet such regulations using some embodiments of invention, other regulations or guidelines may be satisfied in other embodiments, or in still other embodiments no particular regulation or guideline may be followed. In a subsequent heat treating step for about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 1-6, 2-5, or 3-4 hours about 140° F., the internal temperature of the sausage may be raised to at least about 128° F. for at least about 1 hour.

The heat treated sausage logs may then be partially dried in a drying chamber for about 1-7 days, optionally about 6 or 7 days. The sausage logs may be dried for about 1-7 days, optionally 7 days in a drying chamber at drying conditions of about 55-65° F. and relative humidity 65-75% and air circulation at about 0.3 feet/second air velocity. The sausage logs may be stored for drying a drying chamber at least about 1-31 days, optionally 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, or 31 days. The sausage logs may be dried for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 days. The sausage logs may be dried for about 7 days. The sausage logs may be dried for about 6 days. The inventors surprisingly found that this partial drying prior to microwave drying produces a dried sausage product in less than one quarter of the time of current methods.

The sausage may then be cooled, such as by cooling to an internal temperature of about 35° F. or below. For example, the final slice temperature of the heat treated sausage may be about 0° F. to 35° F.

The cooled sausage may be sliced using a slicer (e.g., a Weber Model 905 slicer) to a size of about 4 mm or less. The slices may be about 1.25 mm to 2.5 mm. For example, the slice may be about 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.22, 1.23, 1.24, 1.25, 1.3, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.1, 3.125, 3.5, 4, 4.5, or 5 mm. The slices may be 1.25 mm or 2.5 mm. The inventors discovered that the thickness of the slices may be controlled in order to control further processing of the dried sausage product. For example, slices thicker than about 4 mm may require more processing time or modification to other variables, such as microwave energy or airflow. In lieu of or in addition to slicing, the cooled sausage may be diced to form different shape products. Conventional dicing processes may be used, as known in the art. As with diced product, the size of the diced product might implicate the further processing steps.

Drying Using a Multi-Tiered Dryer Unit

After cutting, optionally slicing, dicing, or cubing, the meat may be placed on the continuous conveyors of specially configured dryer unit. The microwave over dryer unit may comprise a spiral conveyor or a multi-tier belt system.

In one embodiment, the dryer unit is a microwave oven that is coupled to a conveyored air dryer, e.g., an AMTek® Microwave with Aeroglide Impingement Conveyored Dryer may be modified to be used in the present invention. The shape, size and number of linear feet of conveyor required for a given operation may be readily determined by those familiar with this technology and in view of the present disclosure, by calculating the initial moisture level, the desired final moisture level, the relative humidity of the air, the total amount of water which must be removed, the temperature, and the conveyor speed, while some routine experimentation may be desirable to confirm or supplement such calculations and to determine the effects of combinations of variables and processing equipment. Additionally, spiral conveyor equipment is known for a variety of food preparation processes and may be used. In spiral conveyor equipment, a food product may be frozen or heated as it moves along a conveyor which forms a number of tiers or levels within a spiral system. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,942,265 and 6,524,633.

After cutting, optionally slicing, dicing, or cubing, the meat is placed on the continuous conveyors of specially configured spiral conveyor. One type of spiral system which may be modified for use in the present invention is the Frigoscandia Gyro Compac Spiral Conveyor Model GC106. In this device, product enters at the bottom of the housing and spirals about a number of conveyor tiers and exits near the top of the equipment. See FIG. 8A-D. The spiral conveyor assembly may include 12 complete turns in the microwave oven dryer providing about 550 feet of process length. The 4 feet produce width x process length provides about 2200 square feet of belt area in the process zone. The estimated air temperature may be about 100° F. The primary drive may be via a rotating inner drum with an auxiliary motor and air driven takeup to maintained eternal belt tension. The inner volume of the microwave oven dryer with a spiral conveyor assembly may be about 7200 cubic feet. The number of tiers is readily determined by those familiar with this technology by calculating the initial moisture level of the product, the desired final moisture level, the relative humidity of the air, the total amount of water which must be removed, the temperature, and the conveyor speed. The conveyor is moved at speeds which may be controlled, but may use a conveyor speed of approximately 20-60 feet per minute. The direction of air flow may be configured so that the air enters the spiral conveyor at the bottom and exhausts at the top, enters the spiral conveyor at the bottom and exhausts at the top, the air may enter from the bottom center of the spiral conveyor and radiate out across the tiers and exhaust at the sides, or the air may enter from the sides passing over the sausage pieces and be exhausted through the center of the spiral conveyor.

Another modification expected to provide improved results is the use of a multi-belt conveyor having multiple levels of belts or side-by-side belts. In such a system, the belts may be operated in parallel (i.e., multiple processing lines in the unit), series (i.e., product passes through the unit multiple times) or both.

The conveyor may move at speeds which may be controlled. For example a conveyor may be operated at a speed of about 50 to 300, 125 to 200, or 100 to 250 feet per minute. Also, the conveyor belt may be operated at a speed of about 5-50 feet per minute or about 5 feet per minute. Additionally, the spiral conveyor may be operated at 20-60 feet per minute. The microwave oven dryer unit may be used to reduce the amount of moisture contained in the sliced or diced product, from initial levels on the order of about 50% to a final moisture content where the ratio of moisture to protein is equal to or otherwise satisfies USDA Requirements and Standard of Identity. See USDA Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book (2005) and USDA Principles of Preservation of Shelf-Stable Dried Meat Products (2005). For example, the ratio of moisture to protein may be about 2.3:1, 2.2:1, 2.1:1, 2.0:1, 1.9:1, 1.8:1, 1.7:1, 1.6:1, 1.5:1, or 1.4:1. The moisture to protein ratio may be at least about 2.3:1 (e.g., Genoa salami), 2.1:1 (e.g., hard salami), or 1.6:1 (e.g., pepperoni). The ratio of moisture to protein may be about 1.9:1 or less (e.g., dry sausage).

This reduction in moisture content may be accomplished by exposing the dry sausage for about 15-30 minutes to air flow, such as turbulent or laminar air flow, within the dryer unit with the incoming air being dried to a relative humidity of below about 60%. The relative humidity of the conditioned air may be below about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, or 60%. For example, the relative humidity of the conditioned air may below about 50-55%. The temperature of the air entering the dryer unit may be maintained between about 50° F. to 120° F. The temperature of the air entering the dryer unit may be maintained between about 40 to 130° F., 50 to 120° F., or 60 to 110° F. The relative humidity may be below about 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, or 60% and the exposure time may be up to about 10 to 35 minutes. In one embodiment, the air may be introduced at a temperature of between 40° F. and 100° F. at a relative humidity of below 50%, and the drying time may be between 3 and 15 minutes, although it is believed that even faster drying times, such as 2 minutes, may be accomplished with other embodiments of the invention depending on the adjustment of the variables and the particular material being processed.

The air flow through the dryer may be adjusted to suitably dry the product. For example, the air flow may be at least about 100 to 3,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) at a linear air flow over the dry sausage of about 100 to 2,000 feet per minute (ft/min). The air flow may be at least about 2,000 to 2,500 cfm, or at least about 2,000 or 2,400 cfm, and/or at a linear air flow over the dry sausage of about 1,000 to 1,500 feet per minute (ft/min), or at least about 180 to 900 ft/min. Also, the air flow through the dryer may be about 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 2,100, 2,150, 2,200, 2,300, 2,400 cubic feet per minute (ft/min) at a linear air flow over the dry sausage of about 1,000, 1.125, 1,250, 1,500, or 1,750 feet per minute (ft/min). The airflow may be turbulent, laminar, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, the airflow may be set at a velocity that is just below the velocity at which the slices would begin to move or lift off the belt. Additionally, the air pressure in the dryer unit may be maintained at about atmospheric pressure (atm) (e.g., about 760 torr or 101 kPa) via the use of make-up air from the air flow system.

The dryer unit may also have additional scaling and monitoring equipment (e.g., vision cameras and thermal imaging devices) to allow for quality and yield validation of the sausage product. For example, a “pre-dried” product checkweigher may check the weight of the sliced or diced sausage product after slicing but before drying in the dryer unit. A vision/camera system may be used prior to entry of the product in the dryer unit for monitoring the product load (i.e., placement, defects, and other properties of the product). A checkweigher or other monitor also may be provided within the dryer unit to confirm that processing is occurring as expected (e.g., at the expected weight and product placement-on the conveyor), and such a system (or others) might be operated as part of a control feedback system. For example, if the mid-point checkweigher determines that product is still too heavy with water, later operations may be enhanced to accelerate the removal of water in the final processing steps. After the product exits the dryer unit, thermal monitoring or other monitoring systems may be used for monitoring dry sausage product quality. A “post-dried” product checkweigher may be used for yield verification prior the dry sausage product to be conveyed to the freezing unit. Also, monitoring instrumentation for measuring property values of “dry” supply air and “wet” exhaust air may be included in the system.

The conditioned air may be dried by utilizing a desiccant based system or other kinds of dehumidifier. In a desiccant based system, a wheel or other desiccant-laden part adsorbs moisture from the air, thereby providing air with very little moisture content, and then is regenerated with hot air that causes the adsorbed water to evaporate so that the desiccant material can be re-exposed to the air stream and remove moisture. Other kinds of dehumidifier might include a refrigerated coil that is used to condense moisture out of the air. Suitable dehumidifying equipment is readily available from companies such as Bry-Air, Munters, EVAPCO, and Frick. The ambient air coming off the system may be above 100° F., and the air may be cooled down to about 50° F. before re-entry. The temperature and humidity of supply air to the system at the discharge of the unit supplying the air may be measured using sensors, and the temperature and humidity of air leaving the system at the exhaust ductwork of the microwave cavity may be measured using sensors. This information may be used to control the temperature and humidity of the conditioned air. Further, multiple units may be arranged on a microwave dryer unit. For example, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 multi-tier linear microwave oven dryer units may be arranged in parallel resulting in great space savings and increased efficiency.

The air flow may enter the dryer unit at several points. For example, in a dryer unit having a single microwave cavity, the cavity may have three points of entry for the air. Inside the cavity, the air may directed down onto the sliced or diced sausage, but lateral and vertical flows could be used, as could combinations of flow directions. The air flow supplying the oven may be about 1000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) to 2500 cfm. The conditioned air may enter the top of the microwave oven dryer and exit at the bottom, the conditioned air may enter at the bottom of the microwave oven dryer and exit at the top, the conditioned air may enter at the bottom or top and be forced through the center of the microwave oven dryer and exhaust at the sides after flowing over the sausage pieces, or the conditioned air may enter at the sides and exhaust at the center after flowing over the sausage pieces. The air velocity across the surface of the sausage pieces may act to remove moisture and heat. The air velocity may be about 1500 feet per minute (ft/min.) Higher air flow (cfm) and air velocity (ft/min) may shorten the drying time and/or allow for higher production rates through a given system. The exhaust of the system may also be modified. For example, the system described herein may have one exhaust fan in the center of the oven and may produce about 500 cfm of exhaust. Additional exhaust fans may be added to the system with a concurrent increase in the air supply to maintain approximately neutral pressure in the oven. Additionally, the conditioned air supply may be provided from the bottom of the conveyor in the dryer unit impinging on the product from the bottom side. Impingement of the conditioned dry air may accelerate the drying process. Other modifications as described elsewhere herein may also be used.

In units with multiple microwave cavities, each cavity may have its own separate air flow system, or the airflow may be interconnected between cavities.

The inventors surprisingly discovered that the temperature range in which fat melts in the meat mixture is important for optimizing processing time and product quality. Fats are generally heterogeneous compositions comprising different compounds with different characteristics, and these compounds melt at different temperatures. Thus, instead of changing from a solid to a liquid quickly, certain compounds melt at a lower temperature, weakening the overall structure (e.g., the fat begins to soften). Most solid fats do not melt suddenly at a precise point, but do so gradually over a range of about 10-20° F. Eventually, all of the compounds melt and the fat becomes a liquid. Thus, the air temperature in the microwave oven and conveyor dryer may be about 40 to 130° F., or preferably 50° F. to 120° F. The upper limit of the range may be about 120° F. to 130° F. because the temperature at which fat melts depends on the fat (e.g., origin).

Further, the inventors found that a multi-tier or spiral conveyor system arrangement of the microwave oven dryer may allow for far less space to be consumed by the equipment. This space savings is compounded by the ability to arrange the multi-tier microwave oven dryer in parallel. For example, 2, 3, 4, or 5 multi-tier microwave oven dryer systems may be arranged in parallel to achieve greater efficiency in processing and space savings.

Measures also may be taken to ensure the internal parts within the dryer unit do not reach excessive temperatures that would sear the meat or heat the meat by radiation. For example, the conveyor movement and airflow may be sufficient to prevent a substantial or detrimental rise in surface temperatures of the conveyor or other parts. The exact selection of the temperature may vary depending on the composition of the fat in the particular meat(s) being processed. Additionally, thermal imaging, near-infrared (NIR) imaging, sensors, or vision systems may coupled with the dryer unit to allow control of microwave power, belt speed, air flow, and air temperature. Sensors and other control systems may also be coupled with the dryer unit to allow monitoring of the production process (e.g., temperature, air flow).

Another characteristic of the microwave drying process may comprise pulsing the microwave energy to heat the sliced or diced sausage. For example, the pulsing may comprise an on/off cycle for the microwave energy. The on/off cycle may comprise a 10/5 seconds, 10/7 seconds, 20/7 seconds, or a 22/7 seconds cycle (e.g., the microwave oven provides microwave energy for 10 seconds and does not for the subsequent 7 seconds.) The microwave oven may be provided in a steady stream or pulsed. Also, the microwave oven pulsing may comprise a plurality of the same on/off cycle or a mixture of different on/off cycles. For example, the sliced or diced sausage may be dried by a series of three 20/7 second on/off cycles or a mixture of one 20/7 second, one 10/7 second, and one 22/7 second cycle. In one example, in which product is provided on a 48 inch wide belt through a single-cavity dryer unit with slices of sausage distributed along the full width of the belt, the power was set at 12 kilowatts (kW), and pulsed at a cycle of 12 seconds on, and 12 seconds off. The microwave power may be set at about 8-20 kW, optionally about 8-12 kW or about 20 kW. In this example, product was dried in under 10 minutes to achieve a target moisture-to-protein ratio. In other systems, particularly ones with multiple cavities, the operating conditions including the microwave power, air flow, air temperature and pulsing sequence, may differ from cavity to cavity. Further, the methods described herein may utilize a control system to monitor inlet and outlet moisture percentage of the air as a means of calculating moisture removal rates. The system may also feature internal infrared thermometers to monitor surface temperature of the sliced or diced product. Additionally, the belting may be constructed as to allow for maximum airflow but keep the sliced or diced product in position throughout the process.

As will be understood from this disclosure, loading characteristics of different products (either other kinds of sausage or products that are in different shapes, e.g., diced or chopped rather than sliced), might require variations to the processing variables, which can be readily determined with routine experimentation in view of the present disclosure.

Another characteristic of the microwave drying process is to drive the air flow down through the center of the conveyor over the food product. Although air distribution systems are known in the art, its use for drying dry sausage, particularly in combination with applying microwave energy, is not. The air drying method described herein combines low humidity and low temperature with a dry air flow down the center of the food product that unexpectedly produced a dried sausage product in a greatly reduced period of time (e.g., minutes versus days or weeks). The inventors surprisingly discovered that the low temperature and low humidity combination coupled with the direction of an conditioned air flow down the center of the food product in the microwave oven greatly reduced the processing time (e.g., curing time) of the dried sausage. This is in contrast to traditional curing processes which are long periods of time from days to weeks. For example, the drying may be completed in 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 minutes. The drying time may also be about 2 to 10 minutes, 2 to 15 minutes, or 15 to 30 minutes.

As will become more apparent when the plant layout is described later in this application, the appropriate characteristics for the air entering the dryer unit may be accomplished by the use of microwave energy but also using both steam coils and refrigeration coils. Any commercially available microwave oven may be used. For this application, and depending on ambient conditions existing in the plant, there may be a need to heat the air, or to cool it, and refrigeration systems are highly desirable to assist in water removal as is well known in the air-handling art. It is also possible to modify the system which will be described shortly to include chemical desiccant systems for moisture removal. Further information regarding the dryer will be provided in a subsequent section of the specification. For example, a system for the rapid preparation of dry sausage may produce at least about 1,700 lb/hour of finished product. The system also may be adapted to better meet space requirements, for example, the oven may be wider instead of longer to conserve floor space.

Freezing Tunnel

Returning to the overall process characteristics, the sliced or diced dried dry sausage is conveyed from the microwave cabinet to a freezing tunnel or other system for chilling or freezing the product for packaging or transfer for use with the particular final product (e.g., pizza, sandwich meat, calzones.) While drying may be completed in about 1 to about 30 minutes (e.g., 2 to 10 minutes), the time required for freezing or chilling the product, to below about 35° F. (e.g., about 0° F. to 35° F.), may be dependent upon the length of the freezer tunnel, the temperatures maintained therein and conveyor speeds. The product may spend about 1-30 minutes in a continuous freezer tunnel or freezing could take place in a chamber or room where freezing may take about 6-24 hours to chill down to about 35° F. The sausage may be cooled, such as cooling to an internal temperature of about 35° F. or below. For example, the final temperature of the sausage may be about 0-35° F. In some embodiment, the product may be frozen after drying is complete.

Other types of food products may be dried at an accelerated rate in the dryer unit. The present disclosure refers generally to sausage (which takes many forms), but it could be applied to the production of other products such as jerky, dried snack sticks and others. By the use of the dryer unit described herein, the overall processing time for making dry sausage may be dramatically reduced. The process and apparatus described herein allows for a substantial reduction in processing time and the cost associated therewith using a system which occupies relatively little plant space and is highly reliable.

Process for Making Dry Sausage

Proceeding now to a description of the drawings, FIG. 1B shows an exemplary plant lay-out for carrying out steps of the process of the prevent invention. The blending equipment—which may be provided upstream of the shown equipment—is not shown, as such equipment is well known in the art. In FIG. 1B, the slicing 100, microwave oven and dryer 300 and cooling system 500 is shown to include one or more slicing machines 100, each of which deposits sliced dry sausage onto a loading conveyor 200. A single slicing machine 100 is shown, but other slicing machines may deposit meat onto the loading conveyor or other conveyors leading to the microwave oven and dryer 300. As noted above, dicers may be used instead of slicers. Further, the product may be cubed. The loading conveyor terminates at a transverse conveyor where product is uniformly distributed onto a continuous conveyor 304 of the microwave oven and dryer unit 300. Any suitable equipment for uniformly distributing the product onto the conveyor may be used. The energy used in the microwave oven and dryer unit 300 may be generated by a remote microwave generator 301. Dry conditioned air may be supplied by a dehumidifier 400. In other embodiments, the loading conveyor may terminate at a buffer, collator, shaker deck, or retractable loader. The output from the microwave oven and dryer unit is deposited on another transfer conveyor for being moved toward freezer 500. The microwave oven and dryer unit may be a multi-tier or spiral conveyor dryer system as described herein. As product passes through the freezer 500, it is cooled as discussed herein. Finally, cooled product is deposited on a batching conveyor 601 for transport to a packaging machine 602 then to a metal detector 603 and post-packaging. The packaging machine may be a vertical or horizontal packaging machine including but not limited to a vertical Form/Fill/Seal (VFFS) packaging machine, horizontal Form/Fill/Seal (HFFS) packaging machine, or a premade pouch packaging machine. Further, the packaging may be modified atmosphere (MAP) or vacuum packed. The processing area is illustrated in schematic form only, as that equipment, in and of itself, is conventional. Additionally, thermal imaging, near-infrared (NIR) imaging, sensors, or vision systems may coupled with the dryer unit to allow control of microwave power, air pressure, belt speed, air flow, and air temperature.

In reference to FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram of a microwave oven dryer. As shown, the microwave oven dryer of FIG. 10A includes a conveyor belt arrangement 700. More specifically, the conveyor belt arrangement 700 includes a plurality of conveyor belts, i.e. belts, arranged in a tiered manner. As described below, the conveyor belt assembly 700 provides for the transport of sausage pieces by a first conveyor belt 710, transfer of the sausage pieces from the first conveyor belt 710 to a second conveyor belt 720, transport of the sausage pieces by the second conveyor belt 720, transfer of the sausage pieces from the second conveyor belt 720 to a third conveyor belt 730, and subsequently transport of the sausage pieces by the third conveyor belt 730.

FIG. 10A shows the belt direction of each of the belts (710, 720, 730), such belt direction being designated based on an upper travel path of each respective belt. FIG. 10B is a further schematic diagram of the microwave oven dryer of FIG. 10A, showing further detail. The conveyor belt arrangement 700 is not limited to the microwave oven dryer 300. Rather, the conveyor belt arrangement 700 may be utilized in any of a wide variety of systems, such as in a cooling system, for example.

As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, a sausage pieces makes at least three passes through an oven chamber. More specifically, the sausage pieces are first transported to the left for a first pass through the microwave oven dryer 300. Then, the sausage pieces are transported to the right for a second pass through the microwave oven dryer 300. Then, the sausage pieces are transported to the left to complete a third pass through the microwave oven dryer 300.

As shown, the first conveyor belt 710 is supported by a first set of pulleys. The first set of pulleys may include a drive pulley 711 as well as a plurality of idler pulleys 715. The drive pulley 711 is powered so as to move the first conveyor belt 710, as well as to move the idler pulleys 715 that serve to support the first conveyor belt 710. For example, the drive pulley 711 might be powered by a suitable motor that is linked to the drive pulley 711. The first conveyor belt is constituted by a first continuous loop of material that travels along a first travel path, as shown. As described below, one of the idler pulleys 715 is a proximate idler pulley 716.

As shown, the belt arrangement 700 also includes a second conveyor belt that is supported by a second set of pulleys. The second set of pulleys may include a drive pulley 721 as well as a plurality of idler pulleys 725. As described below, one of the idler pulleys 725 is a proximate idler pulley 726. The second conveyor belt 720 may be constituted by a second continuous loop of material that travels along a second travel path.

As shown, the belt arrangement 700 also includes a third conveyor belt that is supported by a third set of pulleys. The third set of pulleys may include a drive pulley 731 as well as a plurality of idler pulleys 735. The third conveyor belt 730 may be constituted by a third continuous loop of material that travels along a third travel path. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the second travel path of the second conveyor belt 720 is disposed proximate to the third travel path of the third conveyor belt 730 along a second belt proximate section 2-3, such that sausage pieces are transferred from the second conveyor belt 720 to the third conveyor belt 730 in the belt proximate section.

As shown, the first travel path of the first conveyor belt 710 is disposed proximate to the second travel path of the second conveyor belt 720 along the belt proximate section 1-2, such that sausage pieces are transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt in the belt proximate section 1-2. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the belt proximate section 1-2 is constituted by a section of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt 720 that is wrapped around a section of the first travel path of the first conveyor belt 710. More specifically, as noted above, one of the idler pulleys 715 that support the first belt 710 is characterized herein as a proximate idler pulley 716. The proximate idler pulley 716 supports the first belt 710 in the belt proximate section 1-2.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the second belt 720 is, in turn, disposed around the first belt 710 (as shown in FIG. 10B) in the belt approximate section 1-2. In one embodiment, the second belt 720 is disposed around the first belt 710 in such manner that the second belt 720 is indeed supported by the first belt 710, i.e., the sausage pieces that is being transported by the conveyor belts indeed serves to support the second belt 720 upon the first belt 710. However, it is appreciated that such arrangement may be problematic in that the sausage pieces being transported, by virtue of the arrangement, might be crushed between the first belt 710 and the second belt 720. The belts may be driven at the input sides. Further, the belt tension may be maintained using pressure controlled air cylinders to maintain very specific belt tension regardless of operating conditions. The transfers are constructed such that the next belt captures the sausage pieces before it is released by the conveying belt. Low belt tension may prevent crushing the product. Accordingly, an alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 10C, and described below. In the embodiment of FIG. 10C, a channel support structure 750 serves to support the second belt 720 in the belt proximate section 1-2. Further details are described below.

It is appreciated that the particular amount that the first belt 710 is wrapped around the proximate idler pulley 716 may be varied as desired. Additionally, it is appreciated that the particular amount that the second belt 710 is wrapped around the first belt 710 may also be varied as desired. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the belt proximate section 1-2 may correspond to approximately 115 degrees of the first conveyor belt wraparound of the proximate idler pulley 716, i.e., the belt proximate section 1-2 being the extent that the first belt 710 and the second belt 720 are disposed in proximity to each other and wrapped around the proximate idler pulley 716. The “total” first conveyor belt wraparound of the proximate idler pulley may be approximately 170 degrees.

FIG. 10C is a perspective view showing details of a channel support structure 750 in a microwave oven dryer 300. As described above, the channel support structure 750 serves to support the second belt 720 in the belt proximate section 1-2. More specifically, the channel support structure 750 serves to separate the section of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt 720 that is wrapped around the section of the first travel path of the first conveyor belt 710 in the belt proximate section 1-2. The channel support structure 750 separates the second conveyor belt from the first conveyor belt, along the belt proximate section, such that the sausage pieces (during passage through the support structure) is transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt. As shown, the channel support structure 750 may include a plurality of channels through which the sausage pieces passes in the belt proximate section. The channel support structure 750, as shown in FIG. 10C, may be in the general shape of a “J”. FIG. 10C also shows a further idler pulley 725 that serves to support the second belt 720, i.e., FIG. 10C shows the idler pulley 725′ in addition to the proximate idler pulley 716.

In the conveyor belt arrangement of FIGS. 10A and 10B, the sausage pieces are transferred from the second belt 722 the third belt 730 in a belt proximate section 2-3. The arrangement of the belt proximate section 2-3, including the proximate idler pulley 726, may be similar in arrangement to the arrangement of the belt proximate section 1-2.

Is appreciated that the various components of the microwave oven dryer 300 may be supported on a suitable support structure. In particular, the various belts and the various pulleys of the conveyor belt arrangement 700 may be supported on any suitable support structure such as metal framework, sheet metal, I-beams, rollers, bearings, screws, rivets and/or any other support component as desired. Illustratively, FIG. 10C shows a support structure 719.

Relatedly, is appreciated that the conveyor belt arrangement 700 may be constructed of any of a wide variety of materials, as desired. For example, the conveyor belt arrangement 700 might be constructed of plastic, rubber, steel, aluminum, or any other material as desired.

As described above, the microwave oven dryer 300 is constituted by a plurality of ovens. However, it is of course appreciated that a wide variety of heating units might utilize the belt arrangement of the invention. Accordingly, the microwave oven dryer 300 might be constituted by the ovens as shown, or alternatively might be constituted by drying units or microwave units, for example. It is appreciated that the systems and methods of the invention, as shown in FIGS. 10A-C for example, are not limited to use in a heating unit. That is, the multiple tier belt assembly may be utilized in systems other than the microwave oven dryer 300 as shown. For example, the multiple tier belt arrangement 700 may be utilized in a cooling system. It is further appreciated that the arrangement 700 of the invention may transport product through a combination of units, such as an oven, then drying unit, then a cooling unit, for example. Various further variations would be appreciated by the one of ordinary skill in the art.

In FIG. 2 , the dryer unit 300 receives the dry sausage from the slicer 100 via a loading conveyor 200. The conveyor terminates at a transverse conveyor 201 where sausage pieces are uniformly distributed onto the continuous conveyor 202 of the dryer unit 300. As described herein, the dryer unit 300 may be a multi-tier dryer unit or a spiral conveyor microwave oven dryer. In other embodiments, the loading conveyor may terminate at a buffer, collator, shaker deck, or retractable loader. The sausage pieces within the dryer unit is exposed to a turbulent air flow where it may be dried to a relative humidity of below about 60% for about 1 to 30 minutes. The relative humidity of the conditioned air may be below about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, or 60%. For example, the relative humidity of the conditioned air may be below about 50-55%. Also, the relative humidity of the conditioned air may below about 25%. The drying time may also be about 2 to 10 minutes, 2 to 15 minutes, or 15 to 30 minutes. The temperature of the air entering the dryer unit may be maintained between about 40° F. to 130° F. For example, the temperature of the air entering the dryer unit may be maintained between about 50° F. to 120° F. Also, the temperature of the air entering the dryer unit may be maintained between about 50° F. to 130° F. The air flow through the dryer may be at least about 100 to 3,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) at a linear air flow over the dry sausage of about 100 to 2.000 feet per minute (ft/min). The air flow may be at least about 2,000 to 2,500 cfm, or at least about 2,400 cfm, and at a linear air flow over the dry sausage of about 1,000 to 1,500 feet per minute (ft/min), or at least about 180 to 900 ft/min. As noted above, other air properties and air flow parameters may be used.

The microwave energy may be pre-set or actively controlled by utilizing inline checkweighers (e.g., at the entrance, middle, and discharge of oven), and/or infrared sensors to monitor the sausage pieces leaving the oven and feedback to control system to adjust microwave power and/or pulse time (on/off). Additionally, thermal imaging, near-infrared (NIR) imaging, sensors, or vision systems may coupled with the dryer unit to allow control of microwave power, belt speed, air flow, and air temperature. For example, a “pre-dried” sausage pieces checkweigher 301 may check the weight of the sliced or diced sausage product after slicing but before drying in the dryer unit. A vision/camera system 302 may be used prior to entry of the sausage pieces in the dryer unit for monitoring the product load. After the product exits the dryer unit, thermal monitoring system 303 may be used for monitoring dry sausage product quality. A “post-dried” product checkweigher 304 may be used for yield verification prior the dry sausage product to be conveyed to the freezing unit. Also, monitoring instrumentation for measuring property values of “dry” supply air and “wet” exhaust air may be included in the system.

As depicted in FIG. 3 , the direction of air flow 305 may be opposite the direction of the dryer unit 300, in which case the dryer unit may maintain a gradient of dry air flowing over the dry sausage slices, with relatively dry air at the microwave oven's product exit, and relatively moist air 306 at the product entry end of the dryer unit 300. The dryer unit 300 may be a multi-tier dryer unit as depicted in FIG. 7 or a spiral conveyor microwave oven dryer as depicted in FIG. 8 . In a multi-tier dryer unit, the air flow velocity and direction is similar to that of a linear conveyor belt. In a spiral conveyor arrangement the conditioned air may be impinged on the product from the center of the spiral conveyor and then exit at the perimeter of the spiral conveyor. In another embodiment, the conditioned air may be impinged on the product from the top of the spiral conveyor and then exhausted at the bottom of the spiral conveyor. Airflow may enter the top of the spiral stack and flow down through all of the levels. Also, air may enter the sides of the microwave oven dryer to blow across the conveyor belts. Air may exit at the bottom of the dryer. The conditioned air 307 that passes over the center of the sausage pieces on the conveyor may have a relative humidity of below about 50-55%, as measured when the air enters the dryer unit 300. The conditioned air for the coupled dryer unit 300 may be introduced at the top and from the bottom, thus providing direct conditioned air over the sliced or diced sausage. The conditioned air creates a “wind-chill” effect which both whisks moisture off the product surface and cools the product surface via evaporative cooling to prevent undesirable heating of the product. The inventors surprisingly discovered that this combination of the removal of the moisture and the cooling of the product surface prevented the heating of the product to the temperature at which the fat may melt (e.g., 120° F.-130° F.). This had the unexpected effect of reducing the formation of holes in the finished product which renders the finished product unusable for many applications (e.g., pizza topping or sandwich meats). A recirculating system may be used, in which dry air 307 may be supplied by a dehumidifier 400 which reduces the humidity of the exhaust air 306 received from the dryer unit 300. In one embodiment, the dry air 307 may be supplied by a dehumidifier 400 outside the spiral conveyor unit to the top and/or sides of the spiral conveyor unit. In other embodiments, the system may not recirculate air. The dehumidifier may supply the dry air 307 to the dryer unit under positive pressure (e.g., about at least one atmosphere pressure, i.e., 101 kPa or 760 torr). Additionally, sensors may coupled with recirculating system to allow control of air flow, air temperature, or air pressure.

In one configuration as depicted in FIG. 3 , the conditioned air enters from one end of the drying unit and exhausts at a distant end producing a parallel-flow or cross-flow drying. See FIG. 3 . For example, the microwave energy may travel through “waveguides” (depicted on the left side of the dryer unit 300), and the dry air 307 may enter from the opposite side.

Although FIG. 3 depicts one dryer unit section, the dryer unit may be a chamber that has multiple connected or spaced apart modules that operate in series or parallel with respect to the processing path of the product. Such a dryer unit chamber may be provided, for example, by using separate microwave or/air flow cavities located within a single continuous chamber, or forming the chamber as a series of spaced microwave and/or air flow cavities. The separate cavities may be separated by microwave chokes that inhibit or block microwaves from passing between cavities. Such chokes are known in the art. Separate cavities also may be separated by restricted passages (e.g., passages that are the full width of the belt, but relatively low, such as being only 4 inches high for a 48 inch wide belt), to help isolate air flow from one microwave cavity from the next. The use of multiple cavities may be particularly beneficial to provide different processing parameters in the different cavities. For example, one cavity may have different microwave intensities and/or pulse patterns as compared to one or more other cavities. Or, one cavity may have different air flow rates, temperatures or pressures than another one of the cavities. Both the microwave properties and the air properties may vary from cavity to cavity. For example, that a process may successfully operate having microwaves provided in a first cavity (with or without a conditioned air flow), and only a conditioned air flow provided in a second, downstream, cavity.

In another embodiment, the microwave oven dryer may comprise a single chamber in which is situated a spiral conveyor.

In FIG. 4 , the conditioned dry air may be introduced into the dryer unit from the top at one, two, three, or more locations. The microwave oven and dryer unit 300 configuration may comprise three entry points for conditioned air 307 from the top 349 of the microwave oven and dryer unit 300, three exhaust points 308 on the side of the dryer unit, and two supply points of microwave energy 311 on the top 310 of the dryer unit. The microwave supply points 310 may be simple microwave guide outlets, or they may include features to help distribute the microwave energy, such as a rotary microwave feed (e.g., a rotating disc that deflects the microwave energy emitted from the microwave guide.) The exhaust blowers 308 (or simply outlets not having blowers on them) may be connected to a common header and located below the belt line. The microwave energy may be from a generator and supplied in top of the oven. In other embodiments, different arrangements of outlets may be used. For example, three outlets may be located along the bottom of the oven and dryer. Also, different airflow arrangements may be used in other embodiments. For example, in a system having three air openings on the top of the unit arranged along the product processing direction, and three air openings on the bottom of the unit arranged along the product processing direction, two upper and two lower openings may be inlets, and one upper and one lower opening may be outlets. The inlets may be the openings furthest downstream so that the air flows generally against the direction of product movement, but other arrangements may be useful. Further, the conditioned air may be introduced into the microwave oven dryer by a series of drying units arranged in parallel with the dryers above the microwave oven dryers. See FIG. 7A.

Air may be exhausted from one side (e.g., center and from the bottom). Air may also be exhausted on the opposite side, closer to the discharge and from the bottom. In another embodiment, the conditioned air may be supplied “up” from the bottom impinging the product from the bottom side which may further accelerate the drying process. For example, in a spiral conveyor arrangement the conditioned air may impinge the product from the sides of the conveyor and travel across the surface of the product and be exhausted from the center of the spiral conveyor. Also, in a spiral conveyor arrangement the conditioned air may impinge the product from the top of the conveyor and travel down through the levels of the spiral conveyor and be exhausted from the spiral conveyor at the base of the spiral conveyor. Further the conditioned air may impinge on the product from the bottom of the conveyor and travel up through the levels of the spiral conveyor and be exhausted from the spiral conveyor at the top of the microwave oven dryer.

In FIG. 5 , the dehumidifier 400 dries the air taken from the dryer unit, preferably maintains a constant air flow rate and pressure in the dry air 307 supplied to the dryer unit. Of course, such pressure and flow rate may vary once the air passes through the dryer unit 300. The dehumidifier 400 takes in air from the microwave oven in a return air inlet 401, removes moisture from the air, and returns dry air to the dryer unit via a process air outlet 402. The dehumidifier 400 may maintain air pressure via make-up air 403, taking in air to compensate for any air leaks that occur within the dryer unit or elsewhere in the air circuit. Any suitable dehumidification system may be used. For example, the dehumidifier 400 may comprise an adsorption-type dehumidifier that uses a desiccant material that is alternately exposed to the working airstream (i.e., the airstream passing through the dryer unit) to adsorb moisture from the air, and then to a reactivation airstream that dries the desiccant. Such a system would include the shown reactivation air inlet 405 and outlet 404 for the airflow that reactivates the desiccant by drying it. For example, the desiccant may be provided on a rotating wheel that passes through the working and reactivation airflows, or in stationary beds over which the airflows are alternated. Additionally, thermal imaging, near infrared (NIR) imaging systems, sensors, or vision systems may coupled with the dehumidifier to allow control of the air humidity and air temperature. Other dehumidifiers 400 may use refrigeration coils to condense water out of the air, which may be used in conjunction with a heater to reheat the air. These and other dehumidifier systems are known in the art.

In FIG. 6 , monitoring points for evaluation and control of the conditioned air flow are shown including an end view of the dryer unit 300 and the dehumidifier 400 (e.g., desiccant wheel style). In the end view of the dryer unit 300, the dry supply air 307 enters the dryer unit 300, passes over the product, and then exits as relatively humid exhaust air 306. Near the inlet of the dry supply air 307, the relative humidity, airstream temperature, or velocity (or CFM) of the air may be monitored using probes. Near the outlet of the “wet” exhaust air 306, the relative humidity, airstream temperature, or velocity (or CFM) of the air may be monitored using probes. Multiple locations for inlets of dry supply air 307 and outlets of wet exhaust air 306 may be included. In the dehumidifier 400, near the process air outlet 402, the airstream temperature, or velocity (or CFM) of the air may be monitored using probes.

In FIG. 9 , the freezer (e.g., freezing tunnel) 500 cools the dry sausage for packaging or transfer for use with the particular final product (e.g., pizza, calzones, sandwiches, packages of sliced or diced dry sausage.) While drying may be completed in about 1 to 30 minutes, the time required for freezing or chilling the product, to below about 35° F., may be dependent upon the length of the freezer tunnel, the temperatures maintained therein and conveyor speeds. For example, the drying time may also be about 2 to 10 minutes, 2 to 15 minutes, or 15 to 30 minutes. Further, the temperature of the dry sausage may be about 0° F. to 35° F. Freezers are known in the art and need not be described in detail herein. A continuous freezer tunnel or a freezer chamber may be used. Additionally, thermal imaging, near-infrared (NIR) imaging, sensors, or vision systems may coupled with the freezer to allow control of temperature or belt speed. The product may then be transported by a conveyor or sets of conveyors 601 to a packaging machine 602 and a metal detector 603 and then to post-packaging. The packaging machine may be a vertical or horizontal packaging machine including but not limited to a vertical Form/Fill/Seal packaging machine, horizontal Form/Fill/Seal, or a premade pouch packaging machine.

In FIG. 8 , the microwave oven dryer includes a spiral conveyor. The conveyor terminates at a shaker deck where the sausage pieces are uniformly distributed onto the continuous conveyor of the spiral conveyor assembly. The spiral nature of the spiral conveyor assembly is schematically illustrated in this drawing with only a single spiral tier, but as indicated above, numerous tiers are used. The figure is cut away to show in schematic form the spiral nature of the tiered conveyor located therewithin. As indicated above, in the most preferred form of the invention, 38-40 tiers are used, more than is shown in the schematic illustration.

A schematic illustration of the spiral conveyor assembly is shown in FIG. 8 . The microwave dryer system includes the spiral conveyor having a product infeed and product discharge. The spiral conveyor may located in a room or chamber defined by the outer line of this FIGURE. The room may be divided into an upper and lower level. Blowers may force conditioned air into the microwave oven dryer and through the sausage pieces moving along the tiers on the continuous mesh conveyor. The conditioned air may enter the top of the microwave oven dryer and exit at the bottom, the conditioned air may enter at the bottom of the microwave oven dryer and exit at the top, the conditioned air may enter at the bottom or top and be forced through the center of the microwave oven dryer and exhaust at the sides after flowing over the sausage pieces, or the conditioned air may enter at the sides and exhaust at the center after flowing over the sausage pieces.

Now that the equipment and the processes have been described in sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the preferred form of the invention, it will be even more apparent how variations of time, temperature and humidity may be made by those skilled in the art to take into account a particular processing environment. For example, relatively more heat must be added to the air flow in colder climates, while if processing were to take place in humid, warm environments, such as the southern part of the United States, especially during the summer, additional refrigeration capacity might be needed to lower humidity to a level of below about 60%. The relative humidity of the conditioned air may be below about 30, 40, 50, or 60%. For example, the relative humidity of the conditioned air may be about 50-55%. Additionally, the relative humidity of the conditioned air may be about 25%. It may also be necessary to maintain the air in a cooled condition downstream of the refrigeration coils if ambient temperatures are in excess of about 90° F., the upper end of the preferred processing range.

Systems that use air flow alone to dry meat sausage after slicing are believed to only use a permeable casing to contain the meat. In the present invention, it is believed that the meat may also be stuffed into permeable or non-permeable casings prior to slicing and drying. Further, the present invention allows for the meat product to be shaped into logs using moulds and then extruded and sliced or diced prior to drying.

Moreover, in the present invention, air flow not only dries the meat (e.g., reduces the moisture) but maintains the temperature of the sausage product below the temperature at which the fat in the meat product would melt (e.g., 120° F. to 130° F.). This avoids the problem of rendering the sausage product which occurs when the fat in the sausage product melts. For example, the use of a microwave oven alone to dry meat products may lead to melting the fat in the sausage product and this ruins the product by changing the moisture, consistency, and flavor of the sausage product. Further, the use of a microwave oven alone to dry meat products, especially sliced or diced sausage product may leave large holes in the meat product rendering it unusable for end uses (e.g., pizza topping, sandwich meat).

Accordingly, the inventor surprisingly discovered that the combination of the use of conditioned air flow and microwave heating allows for the rapid drying of sliced or diced dry sausage without rendering the fat in the sausage pieces. For example, the use of conditioned air flow and microwave heating allows for the rapid drying of sliced or diced dry sausage while achieving the desired moisture (e.g., 1.6:1 moisture-to-protein ratio or 2.3:1 moisture-to-protein ratio), consistency, and flavor. Each alone, has the problem of being limited to permeable casings and slow drying time in air flow alone; or damaging the sausage product to make it undesirable in using microwave drying alone. In the present invention, the combination of the conditioned air flow and microwave drying, it is believed that the conditioned air flow removes the moisture from the surface of the sausage product and the microwave evacuates moisture from the center of the meat product. This combination results in a synergy that allows for a more uniform and consistent drying of the meat product while maintaining the sausage product below the temperature at which the fat inside the sausage product would melt, thus avoiding problems with air flow or microwave drying alone.

In addition to providing improved product feel and greatly reduced processing times, processes as described herein also may provide benefits to other parts of the manufacturing process. For example, by cutting, optionally slicing, dicing, or cubing, the product before passing it through the dryer unit, the product may be in its final form and ready for packaging and shipment immediately after leaving the drying unit (of course, it may still be chilled, stacked or otherwise processed after leaving the dryer unit to preserve and package the meat). In this sense, it can be said that the meat is processed into its final commercial shape before it even enters the dryer unit. Despite this advantage, it may be desirable to conduct further shape processing, such as further slicing or dicing, after the product leaves the dryer unit. Indeed, such further operations may even be facilitated by the reduced moisture to protein ratio of the meat after it exits the dryer unit.

Although certain manufacturers, model names and numbers are given for machinery used in the invention, other machinery may be substituted, as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Although certain ranges are provided for the humidity, temperature, conveyor speed, and air flow characteristics, these can be varied based on the particular volumes desired, space requirements and other needs. After reading this specification, one skilled in the art will understand that the selection of working or optimum numbers for these variables may be made once the plant and overall process parameters of a particular processing installation are known.

Additionally, although preferred systems are disclosed for controlling the temperature and the humidity of the air conveyed to and removed from the housing for the microwave oven and conveyor, these may be varied. These may be varied by substituting, for example, chemical for mechanical systems or direct for recycle heating of the air, depending on normal plant considerations of energy cost, plant lay-out and the like, and generally the temperature and humidity values used in the process tolerate some ongoing variability due to, for instance, changes in ambient plant temperatures and humidity and other related factors.

Further embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the following examples. The examples contained herein are offered by way of illustration and not by any way of limitation.

EXAMPLES Example 1

A process for the production of dry sausage was tested. The process provided rapid drying of fermented and heat treated meat to produce dry sausage such as Genoa salami and pepperoni. Drying was accomplished by slicing the product and using a combination of microwave energy and conditioned air as described herein.

Equipment

The following equipment was used: (a) Weber® 402 slicer; (b) AMtek® Microwave oven, 1 cavity, outfitted with supply and exhaust air. Dimensions: 120 in long by 48 in. wide. One microwave transmitter feeding the cavity was the set up; and (c) Air Liquide® Nitrogen Chamber (for product chilling).

Summary

The product produced closely matched the desired yield parameters (e.g., 18% drying loss for Genoa salami and 22% for pepperoni) and the slices were 1.1 mm thick (prior to drying) using the following conditions:

TABLE 1 Microwave Belt Speed Power Supply Product Slicer (in/min) (kW) Exhaust Air Genoa 3 logs 36 3 1 fan on 1 fan on salami across (residence nearest feed top of time of end of oven cavity 2 3.3 min) in cavity 1 Pepperoni 3 logs 24 3^(†) 1 fan on 1 fan on across (residence nearest feed top of time of end of oven cavity 2 5 min.) in cavity 1 ^(†)The microwave power was pulsed with a 10/7 second cycle (e.g., 10 seconds with the microwave power on and 7 seconds with the microwave power off).

For both the Genoa salami and pepperoni, there was one exhaust fan at the nearest feed end of the oven in cavity 1 and one supply air fan on top of cavity 2.

Observations

Using this configuration and microwave oven, three lanes of Genoa salami had a production rate of 25.7 lb/hr. and pepperoni had a production rate of about 16.9 lb./hr. The product temperature exiting the oven on the product was about 90° F. to 100° F. The exhaust air temperature when microwaves were being generated was about 80° F. to 85° F. The product thickness was about 1.02 mm to 1.09 mm. The product diameter did not change much through the process, and was larger than control samples, thus it may be possible to reduce stuffing diameter.

The inventors discovered that the products were susceptible to holes forming where temperature exceeded melting point of fat. Unexpectedly, dry, conditioned air coupled with microwave heating boosted productivity and achieved better product quality.

Example 2

The use of microwaves to dry sausage presents a challenge because microwaves work by exciting water molecules which creates heat. The goal was to warm the product in order to get the moisture to release, but the microwave energy can also concentrate on the product (e.g., “the hot spot phenomena”). This hot spot issue will cause the fat to melt, and make holes appear in the product, which is detrimental to appearance, and would not be appealing to consumers. This is what happened during the First Trial. This was overcome this by using cooler air and also pulsing the microwave energy (e.g., an on/off cycle where the microwave energy is on for X seconds and off for Y seconds).

The inventors also surprisingly discovered that the process to create the raw meat block affected the final product By changing the process from blending then grinding to grinding then blending, the overall quality of the product was unexpectedly improved. This was contrary to the traditional process because one would not want to do this since it slows down the drying process (e.g., grinding then blending is undesirable). However, the reversal of this order in the present invention unexpectedly resulted in accelerate drying (e.g., about 5 minutes) and an improved product (e.g., fewer holes in the slices). Without being bound by a theory of operation, it is believed the enhanced results were due to the grinding step extracting protein to encapsulate fat molecules.

Further, the first fan produced approximately 500 cfm of exhaust and a second fan on the opposite side of the oven was provided to achieve 1500 cfm of exhaust (e.g., the cavity may have went from being under positive pressure to negative pressure since supply was 1000 cfm). Additional make-up air may be used to balance supply and exhaust to achieve an approximately neutral pressure in the oven.

There were several changes made to the process to address the formation of holes that occurred in the first trail (Example 1), and to enhance drying time. The AMTek microwave cavity was modified to add three air intake openings and one exhaust located in the middle of the oven below belt level, for exhausting outside the room. A portable A/C unit was supplied to provide cool dry air to the three air intake openings. The process to manufacture the meat block was changed to grind first then mix, and mixing times were slightly extended. The purpose of this step was to encapsulate fat and protect fat from melting which cause holes in the product. This trial used Intralox® raised rib belting, so that more surface area of the slices would be exposed to cool dry air. Also, a Weber model 305 slicer was used. Finally, instrumentation was used to monitor air intake and exhaust flow, temperature, and relative humidity.

Discussion and Results

Large (e.g., about 89 mm) diameter pepperoni was chosen for the first run in this Second Trial. The initial settings used were the same as used in Example 1. The belt speed at was about 24 inches/minute and the microwave power was at about 3 kW with microwave pulse set ON for about 10 seconds; OFF for about 7 seconds.

The first run used air from the portable A/C without cooling. The only exhaust used was the one installed from the middle of the cavity. The goal of this test was to attempt to achieve 50% of target moisture removal in the first pass, then take the product back through for a second pass. Product was aligned in two rows across from the slicer. Product exit temperature after the second pass was in the mid 80° F. range. This resulted in a cycle time of 10 minutes.

The second run was conducted to evaluate product performance and used the following settings. The microwave power was at about 2 kW with no pulse. Cool air was pumped into the microwave oven (49° F. to 50° F.). The second run started with a belt speed of 30 inches per minute and increased in stages up to 90 inches per minute (product was being heat treated at lower belt speeds).

The product temperature at discharge ranged from 90° F. to slightly over 100° F. The total cycle time was about 2.67 minutes. There were more holes in this product than in the first run, but not as much as the runs in Example 1.

The third run was designed to achieve dry target yield in one pass. The belt loading by increased by changing the layout to 4 slices across belt width. The settings were changed to microwave power at about 4 kW, with microwave pulse ON for about 20 seconds; OFF for about 7 seconds. The dry yield was slightly off target at first, so the pulse was changed to ON for about 22 seconds; OFF for about 7 seconds. This setting brought yield to target with product temperature at discharge ranging from about 70° F. to 85° F. A second exhaust fan closest to the discharge end was activated. This had an effect of reducing product temperature variation across the belt to a range of about 75° F. to 80° F. The total cycle time to achieve target dry yield was about 5 minutes.

The fourth run was on small diameter (e.g., about 50.5 mm) product. The initial settings included microwave power at about 4 kW, with microwave pulse ON for about 20 seconds; OFF for about 7 seconds and a belt speed at about 24 inches/minute.

The settings were adjusted until target yield and appearance were achieved with microwave power at about 3 kW, with microwave pulse ON for about 22 seconds; OFF for 7 about seconds and a belt speed at about 30 inches/minute. Further, two exhaust fans were used. The total cycle time to achieve target dry yield was about 4 minutes.

CONCLUSION

It was surprisingly discovered that the pulsing off of microwave power assisted in controlling the process. The pulsing of microwave power unexpectedly provided an off-time of the microwave energy, to prevent overheating of the product and allow for removal of moisture by conditioned air. It is expected that the pulsing of the microwave energy may be controlled automatically using vision, thermal imaging or inline checkweighers to accurately reduce the moisture content of the product.

Additionally, a portable A/C unit was used to supply drier air. The use of conditioned air (e.g., cool dry air at about 50° F.) unexpectedly improved the process. A desiccant system (e.g., Bry-Air system) may enhance moisture removal and further reduce drying time.

The change in the process to grind first and then mix was unexpectedly successful. This results surprisingly suggests that some of the steps taken in the traditional process to limit protein extraction may not needed in this process (e.g., reduction in the number of steps in the method to achieve the desired product). Also, automation of blending may be used in this process providing further time savings.

Thus, the inventors surprisingly discovered that the combination of pulsed microwave power in combination with conditioned air provided an unexpected synergy that lead to an improvement in the product quality and a reduction in the drying time. Further, the process of grinding first and mixing second resulting in an unexpected improvement in the product quality (e.g., fewer holes in the sausage slices). While the combination of these two aspects is beneficial, either could be used alone in embodiments of the invention.

Example 3

A third run was performed, again using the Weber® 402 slicer and a dryer unit comprising an AMtek® Microwave single-cavity oven and supply and exhaust air provided by a Bry Air dehumidifier using a cooling coil/condenser to dry the air. The slices were distributed across the full width of the belt manually by two operators, but automated systems are expected to provide similar results. The microwave cavity was twelve feet long with a 48 inch wide conveyor belt. The cavity included six openings for air supply and exhaust (three on top arranged along the length of the belt, and three on the bottom arranged along the length of the belt). The openings could be selectively attached to hoses to introduce and exhaust the drying air. Various airflow patterns were found to be useful to dry the air. In one particular arrangement, the four downstream openings were used to introduce air, and the two upstream openings were used to exhaust air.

Using this setup, pepperoni slices were processed to a target moisture to protein ratio of 1.6. The microwave source was operated at 12 kW, and repeatedly pulsed on for 12 seconds, and off for 12 seconds. Airflows such as described above were used in this process. This arrangement achieved a moisture to protein ratio of 1.47 in only 9.6 minutes of processing time. The production rate for this trial run was fifty-two pounds per hour.

Although the invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it should be understood that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. Modifications of the above-described modes for carrying out the invention that would be understood in view of the foregoing disclosure or made apparent with routine practice or implementation of the invention to persons of skill in food chemistry, food processing, mechanical engineering, and/or related fields are intended to be within the scope of the following claims. As just one example, energy sources other than microwaves (e.g., infrared, direct or indirect heating or other radiation having frequencies other than microwave frequencies) may be used in conjunction with forced air to provide unexpectedly efficient product drying.

All publications (e.g., Non-Patent Literature), patents, patent application publications, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. All such publications (e.g., Non-Patent Literature), patents, patent application publications, and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, patent application publication, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

While the foregoing invention has been described in connection with this preferred embodiment, it is not to be limited thereby but is to be limited solely by the scope of the claims which follow. 

We claim:
 1. A process for preparing dry sausage comprising: (a) placing sausage pieces onto a conveyor assembly, wherein the conveyor assembly is a multi-tier linear arrangement including a first conveyor belt supported by a first set of pulleys, the first conveyor belt constituted by a first continuous loop of material that travels along a first travel path; a second conveyor belt supported by a second set of pulleys, the second conveyor belt constituted by a second continuous loop of material that travels along a second travel path; and the first travel path of the first conveyor belt disposed proximate to the second travel path of the second conveyor belt along a first belt proximate section, such that the sausage pieces are transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt in the first belt proximate section; (b) passing the conveyor assembly with the sausage pieces thereon through a chamber; (c) introducing into the chamber a supply of conditioned air having a relative humidity below about 60% and a temperature in the range of about 40° F. to 130° F.; and (d) introducing into the chamber a supply of microwaves in pulses, wherein the sausage pieces remain in the chamber for less than 30 minutes; wherein the supply of conditioned air and the supply of microwave pulses are selected to reduce the moisture content of the sausage pieces to a predetermined moisture to protein ratio; wherein the first belt proximate section is constituted by a section of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt that is wrapped around a section of the first travel path of the first conveyor belt; wherein in the first belt proximate section the second conveyor belt is supported upon a support structure; wherein the section of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt that is wrapped around the section of the first travel path of the first conveyor belt is wrapped around the support structure such that a surface of the first conveyor belt supporting the sausage pieces faces the surface of the second conveyor belt configured to receive the sausage pieces from the first conveyor belt during transfer of the sausage pieces from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt; and wherein the sausage pieces are transferred directly from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt.
 2. A process for preparing dry sausage, comprising: (a) placing sausage pieces onto a conveyor assembly including a conveyor; (b) passing the conveyor assembly with the sausage pieces thereon through a chamber, the chamber including a plurality of cavities through which the conveyor assembly is passed; (c) introducing into a first cavity of the plurality of cavities of the chamber a supply of microwaves in pulses without introducing a supply of conditioned air into the first cavity; and (d) introducing into a second cavity of the plurality of cavities of the chamber a supply of conditioned air having a relative humidity below about 60% and a temperature in the range of about 40° F. to 130° F. without introducing a supply of microwaves in pulses into the second cavity, wherein the sausage pieces remain in the chamber for less than 30 minutes; wherein the supply of conditioned air and the supply of microwave pulses are selected to reduce the moisture content of the sausage pieces to a predetermined moisture to protein ratio; and wherein the first cavity is isolated from the second cavity to inhibit passage of the microwaves from the first cavity into the second cavity during introduction of the supply of microwaves, and to inhibit passage of the conditioned air from the second cavity into the first cavity during introduction of the supply of conditioned air.
 3. The process of claim 1, wherein a proximate idler pulley supports the first conveyor belt in the first belt proximate section.
 4. The process of claim 3, wherein the first belt proximate section corresponds to approximately 115 degrees of the first conveyor belt wraparound of the proximate idler pulley.
 5. The process of claim 4, wherein a total first conveyor belt wraparound of the proximate idler pulley being approximately 170 degrees.
 6. The process of claim 1, wherein the support structure is configured to separate the section of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt that is wrapped around the section of the first travel path of the first conveyor belt in the first belt proximate section, and the support structure is configured to separate the second conveyor belt from the first conveyor belt, along the first belt proximate section, such that the sausage pieces, during passage through the support structure, are transferred from the first conveyor belt to the second conveyor belt.
 7. The process of claim 1, wherein the support structure includes a plurality of channels through which the sausage pieces pass in the first belt proximate section.
 8. The process of claim 1, wherein the support structure is in the general shape of a “J”.
 9. The process of claim 1, wherein said conveyor assembly further includes a third conveyor belt supported by a third set of pulleys, the third conveyor belt constituted by a third continuous loop of material that travels along a third travel path; and the second travel path of the second conveyor belt is disposed proximate to the third travel path of the third conveyor belt along a second belt proximate section, such that sausage pieces are transferred from the second conveyor belt to the third conveyor belt in the second belt proximate section.
 10. The process of claim 1, wherein the first conveyor belt conveys the sausage pieces through a first heating pass and the second conveyor belt conveys the sausage pieces through a second heating pass.
 11. The process of claim 1, wherein the first set of pulleys includes at least one drive pulley that drives the first conveyor belt; and the second set of pulleys includes at least one drive pulley that drives the second conveyor belt.
 12. The process of claim 1, wherein the first conveyor belt is constructed of at least one of plastic and rubber; and the second conveyor belt is constructed of at least one of plastic and rubber.
 13. The process of claim 1, wherein the first travel path of the first conveyor belt is disposed over at least a portion of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt.
 14. The process of claim 3, wherein the section of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt is wrapped around the section of the first travel path of the first conveyor belt such that the proximate idler pulley supports the second conveyor belt through the first conveyor belt in the first belt proximate section.
 15. The process of claim 14, wherein the support structure is disposed between the second conveyor belt and the first conveyor belt in the first belt proximate section, the support structure separating the first conveyor belt from the second conveyor belt.
 16. The process of claim 15, wherein the first conveyor belt in the first belt proximate section is disposed against one side of the support structure, and the second conveyor belt is disposed an opposing side of the support structure.
 17. The process of claim 1, wherein the section of the second travel path of the second conveyor belt is wrapped around the section of the first travel path of the first conveyor belt such that the first conveyor belt in the first belt proximate section supports the second conveyor belt.
 18. The process of claim 1, wherein introducing into the chamber the supply of microwaves in pulses comprises supplying microwaves in pulses at uniform on/off cycles, with a duration of an on cycle and an off cycle of a first on/off phase identical to a duration of an on cycle and an off cycle of a second on/off phase.
 19. The process of claim 1, wherein introducing into the chamber the supply of microwaves in pulses comprises supplying microwaves in pulses at a mixture of different on/off cycles, with a duration of at least one of an on cycle and an off cycle of a first on/off phase different from a duration of at least one of an on cycle and an off cycle of a second on/off phase.
 20. The process of claim 1, wherein the first travel path of the first conveyor belt is in a different direction from the second travel path of the second conveyor belt.
 21. The process of claim 19, wherein the chamber includes a plurality of cavities through which the conveyor assembly is passed, wherein the duration of at least one of the on cycle and the off cycle of the first on/off phase of the supply of microwaves in a first cavity of the plurality of cavities is different from the duration of at least one of the on cycle and the off cycle of the second on/off phase in a second cavity of the plurality of cavities.
 22. The process of claim 1, wherein the surface of the second conveyor belt is configured to receive the sausage pieces from the first conveyor belt before the first conveyor belt releases the sausage pieces from the surface of the first conveyor belt supporting the sausage pieces.
 23. The process of claim 2, wherein the supply of conditioned air enters from a side of the second cavity of the plurality of cavities, passes over the sausage pieces, and is exhausted through a center of the conveyor assembly.
 24. The process of claim 2, wherein the supply of conditioned air enters from a bottom of the conveyor assembly into the second cavity of the plurality of cavities to impinge on a bottom side of the sausage pieces. 